A Working Honeymoon
by Liliumscribe
Summary: Sequel to A Roman Holiday. Devilry's afoot at the triennial gathering of conductors in Vienna. Right in the middle of the fray are Chiaki and Nodame learning what it means to juggle marriage and work.
1. Prologue

**A Working Honeymoon**

Sequel to _A Roman Holiday_. _In admiration of Dorothy L. Sayers, the author of the Lord Peter Wimsey stories._

**Disclaimer:** _The world of Nodame and Chiaki was created by Tomoko Ninomiya. I'm just having a little play in her sandbox._

_This is a work of fiction. Any resemblance to situations, persons dead or alive is purely coincidental._

* * *

**Prologue **

**I**

Shielded by the pitch black darkness of the room, an angry soul lurked beneath the shadows. An otherwise gentle soul torn apart by a profound disappointment by fate's cruel twists. What is left in its wake is nothing but a shattered dream… a lifelong dream callously trampled on by the high and mighty. Those who, in his eyes, had put their own interests ahead of the interests of the greater good. He had always been so certain that he was one that represented the greater good... the one to help steer the guild into the twenty-first century. Now, he was merely a soul lost at sea… a soul whose _raison d'etre_ had been snatched so painfully from his grasp. With clenched fists, he vented his indignation against the nearest concrete wall.

_Twenty years in the guild and all for what? All these years of kowtowing to the factions and humiliating myself in front of lesser men… Those imbeciles… after all the hard work that I've put into the guild… this is how they reward me… handing my position over to an inexperienced new comer. How dare they chose a new comer over me. The effrontery of those fools. They know how much this meant to me. It was mine. The guild is my life!_

His wrath was not so easily assuaged as more furniture fell victim to his fury. Chairs, tables, cushions tumbled to the ground in a disorderly fashion. Objects within reach were hurtled across the room one after another until there was nothing left to hurl. It would be some time later before he would collapse onto the leather sofa breathless and exhausted by his exertions. Burying his head between his legs, the tears now fell… allowing himself a moment to grieve. But only a moment. Shaking his fists in the darkness, a resolution was formed.

_They will pay… they will all pay for this… All of them. One by one. I know their secrets and I will be their Till._

* * *

**II**

A newly married couple checked into the prestigious Ambassador Hotel, which was situated in in the middle of downtown Vienna. As part of a large contingent of conference guests that were steadily trickling into the hotel, they found themselves in front of a queue of weary and famished individuals all anxiously waiting their turn. At first glance they seemed a mismatched couple. Clad in a dark overcoat and black trousers, the man was tall, handsome and confident. He had the poise of someone who though young… not quite thirty… had already seen much success in his career. The woman, who was clinging on to his arm, was gazing at her surroundings with all the curiosity and wonder of an awestruck child.

"Mukya… this is a fantastic place, sen.., I mean, husband…" She was prattling on excitedly. "I can't believe we're staying here. It looks more like a place for kings and celebrities."

"It is… many famous politicians and artistes have spent time here."

"Really? Amazing. Gyabo! And now Nodame is going to leave her mark here." Her matter-of-fact comment elicited an affectionate glance from her husband.

Waiting patiently for the receptionist to organize their room and baggage, the two day old husband watched the delighted stares that his companion gave to every object in the enormous lobby area. He knew from all her gleeful smiles and excited cries that she was reveling in the moment.

It was her smile that distinguished her… a mixture of mischief and other worldliness… the effect of which animated her otherwise ordinary features. It was one of the many things he loved about her and in more unguarded moments, he would find himself gazing at her lips not just for the smile that they formed but for the rumblings of desire that quietly stirred inside of him.

Despite the promise of untold luxury at their fingertips, the young husband was far from happy. "It's no place to be spending a honeymoon though."

"It's okay, husband… I don't mind…" She then lowered the tone of her voice. "At least we'll get to enjoy a very big bed, right?" There was a glint of anticipation in her eyes.

"_Hentai_…" He reprimanded but none too sternly. Instead, he reached over and gently caressed her reddish, light brown hair. "Is that all you think about?"

"Of course not… but since you're going to be stuck all day in seminars, workshops and meetings for the next few days… you owe me… big. I have exclusive night time rights, don't forget that, Chiaki."

"How can I? With you harping on at me… day and night." He retorted rolling his eyes.

She pursed her lips looking disgruntled. "You make it sound like such a chore…"

His expression softened. "A chore? Not that… never that." There was a wistful look in his eyes.

"_Anata_… are you alright? You seem so far away."

"Yes, I'm sorry. I'm fine. It's just that… I didn't want us to be spending our honeymoon with two or three hundred people at a conference, snatching a moment here and there for ourselves."

"Haven't we already talked about this? You have to be here. You're giving an important address. Besides that, it is a great honour to be the new secretary of the Conductors Guild." She snuggled up closer to him. "The youngest one ever in its 150 year history. I'm so proud of you."

Although he averted his eyes, his voice betrayed some emotion. "I think my being appointed secretary of the Guild has more to do with Maestro Stresemann and Vieira sensei doing some political wrangling than any ability on my part."

"Nonsense… everyone knew that you were the best man for the job."

"I don't know about that… Anyway…" He changed the subject abruptly. "I won't be able to spend as much time with you as I like. I don't want you to be bored."

She could see how much this was bothering him and tried to reassure him. "Not a chance. There's so much of Vienna I haven't yet seen. The last time I was here, I was inside a practice room half the time. This time, I'm going to do some real sightseeing. Furthermore, I'll be giving 3 recitals during my time here. I will have no time to be bored."

_It is just like her to take a positive spin on everything._ The young husband thought to himself. "I'll make it up to you, Nodame." He promised.

"Don't worry… Chiaki Shinichi, I'll make sure that you do." was her ominous response.

* * *

**III **

It had been a long journey back and she was suffering the after effects of jetlag. Returning from an enormously successful tour in Australia, the popular US-born Chinese violinist, Sophie Wong was content to be home with her fiancé in Vienna. Although, in her mid forties, she had maintained her looks and figure and appeared more like a woman in her thirties. It would be her last major international tour as she made preparations for her impending marriage to a fellow musician. The couple were relaxing with a bottle of red in front of a log fire after a meal of steak mignon, discussing the latest from the classical music world. The conversation soon turned to a young Japanese pianist that Sophie had heard perform in France several months earlier. A Ms Megumi Noda.

Her fiancé's face registered a blank. "Megumi Noda… Megumi Noda… Doesn't ring any bells with me. Who is she?"

"She was in the news lately… just got married to a conductor, I think. At least that's what Miriam told me. I'm not up on the latest goss. Got involved in some kidnapping case in Rome. Haven't you heard of her, Masa?"

"No, I haven't."

"The silver medalist from this year's Tilburn competition."

"Silver medalist, eh? Is she any good?"

"What do you mean 'is she any good'? She is the silver medalist. Although some people think she should have won it."

"What did you think?"

"I think she's a name to watch."

"I don't think I've seen you that excited about an up and coming pianist for a while."

"I'm surprised you haven't heard of her… obviously she's Japanese."

"I haven't been back there in decades."

"Don't you have a son there?"

"He's been living in Europe for almost nine years now but I haven't see him since his mother and I divorced."

"Why not?"

"I pretended that he didn't exist and now he pretends that I don't."

"Don't you care?"

"It's easier to tell myself that I don't. Helps me sleep better at night."

"Masa… how can you?"

He took her hand and gave it a gentle squeeze. "Don't worry your beautiful little head about it. It's water under the bridge." Outwardly he gave the appearance that he was unaffected by it, perhaps in an attempt to convince her and possibly himself that none of that mattered. "So, Sophie, you were saying that this Megumi Noda is giving a recital at the Sala Terrena.(1)"

"Yeah, two at the Sala Terrena and one at the Ambassador Hotel. Playing Mozart and Ravel pieces mainly. Interested? Miriam got me two tickets."

"I could be…"

* * *

**IV**

Nicholas Stanton, late of the London Philharmonic Orchestra, had been enjoying a few daiquiris at the hotel bar. _Here's to drink, music and to women.__ Long may they please._ Glancing at his watch, he could see that it was way past his bed time. _A whole day of meetings to look forward to. How exciting._ He thought irascibly about how his time could be better spent. As downed his last glass, his cell phone vibrated. Immediately he thought the worse. _Why is someone calling me this late? Did something happen at home?_ A quick glance at the screen informed him instantly that it wasn't a call from home.

_Damn that woman… I told her not to ring me._

"Nick… when are you coming back? I'm lonely."

"Joy… I told you not to ring me, unless in an emergency."

"What's wrong? Your wife's not there, is she?"

"It's a public place… and nobody knows about us. I'd like to keep it that way."

"Well, they should know about us." The voice on the other end was turning petulant. Furthermore, her speech was slurred.

"Joy… are you drunk?"

"Well… I did have five glasses of margaritas… But drunk, no…"

"Go to bed, Joy… sleep it off." He snapped into the phone.

"Such a spoilsport, Nick. Don't you miss me?" She pleaded. "It's so lonely here tonight."

Changing tact, he spoke in a gentler tone of voice. "Of course I miss you but I'm about to go to bed. You should do the same."

"Alright… alright… ring me won't you?"

"As soon as I have some time."

"You never have time for me except when you want…"

"Good bye, Joy…" He felt it necessary to cut short the call. The complaints were protracted and never ending. But she knew what she was in for… he made it clear from the start. Of course, she wasn't his first. _That woman… I should never have given her this number but then it was the preferable alternative to her ringing the house._

Stanton strolled briskly to his room in fear of another unwanted call being overheard._ Sigh… women… can't live with them… can't live without them._

Opening the door to his hotel room, he noticed a piece of paper that had been slipped under his door. His name was printed on the front in block letters in a dark, eye catching font. Unfolding the note, he observed from the layout that it seemed to be some kind of poem.

_Someone's been a naughty boy_

_He's got a nice new toy_

_She's slim and blonde and rather coy_

_And showers him with JOY._

_What the devil?_ Stanton was stunned. Looking to the left and the right of the corridor, he saw no one. _No one knows… not even Franz... _

Stanton staggered back inside the room reeling from the shock and collapsed onto his bed. He looked over the words at the ordinary looking sheet of paper one more time. _But how…_

* * *

_Comments, reviews and expressions of interest are always appreciated.  
_


	2. Chapter 1: Day One

_Warning: Adult content ahead... nothing overly explicit. _

**Chapter 1**

_How am I blest in thus discovering thee !  
To enter in these bonds, is to be free ;  
Then, where my hand is set, my soul shall be.  
Full nakedness ! All joys are due to thee ;  
As souls unbodied, bodies unclothed must be  
To taste whole joys…_

(_"Elegy: To His Mistress Going to Bed", John Donne_)

**I **

He was up early. Too early. Too late to sleep in and too early to enjoy the warmth that his bed companion afforded him. Taking no heed of time, Shinichi Chiaki sat up gazing tenderly at the petite and slender frame lying beside him in an open foetal position, shielded only by a thin sheet of cotton wrapped around her lily white skin. While, her ruddy brown hair fell loosely over her face, hiding it from the gaze of the observer, her pale white arms gleamed in the semi-darkness that was gradually being overwhelmed by the daylight. Having had a taste of her, he was desirous of more. He was well aware that he had not married a great beauty by any definition but it was her brand of personal charisma that made her truly unique. 9 years later, he could unequivocally acknowledge that this life with her was the outcome he wanted for himself.

Emotionally and physically he had strenuously kept her at bay for as long as he could remember. If anyone had said to him ten years earlier that an encounter with a rubbish accumulating _hentai_ would lead him to this point, he would have told them that they were insane. There were moments where he wondered if he wasn't insane himself for choosing to inhabit her world but the thought of her being absent from his life seemed oddly disturbing… unbearable almost. The recent incident in Rome and his short stint with the London Philharmonic had been severe reminders to him that life without her was not something he would want to contemplate. No doubt, she was mad… but her madness was gleefully infectious, her unconventionality had become his compass. Against all conventional wisdom he had come to love this larger than life Puck.

Shinichi allowed himself a grin. He was married to Puck… or was it Till as he had once said to her? Either way, this reminder stirred him into sudden activity around the bed. Shuffling warily through her bedside drawer for any offending objects, his watchful eye was on the prowl particularly for the ubiquitous Nodame camera. In the early days of their relationship, that _hentai _had a pervert's fondness of capturing him in the most outrageous moments. Whether it was pictures of him reluctantly dressed in eighteenth century garb, or of him undressing or while in the bath, she had mischievously found a way to capture it on camera. Like a persistent shadow, she had been the voyeur from _hentai_ hades.

But last night… he had been completely vulnerable. Any reservations he might have had previously were cast into the wind. Given her history for voyeurism, it did beg the question… Did she have a camera hidden somewhere? The search yielded little apart from dog-eared copies of the _Kama Sutra_ and _Ideal Marriage: It's Physiology and Techinique_ carefully hidden under a pile of Mozart scores. Shinichi's grin widened further. Nodame never did anything by halves.

Her mad, voracious appetite for life extended to the pleasures of lovemaking. She was coy yet bold and the restless passion that had been brewing under the surface had been given full flight. He had an inkling or two that she would be no passive bystander but for her to touch his heart the way she did made him tremble with exhilaration. What was it about the way she whispered his name that moved him to tears? He had said little, being consumed by the whirlpool of emotions that bound them together… an ecstasy that had threatened to drown them both.

The frustration that he would have to leave the warmth and pleasures of the marriage bed in a short time was something that dwelt uneasily in his mind. He cursed himself for his own indecisiveness… for allowing himself to be a manoeuvred by some powerful hands. Now they would both have to pay for his dithering and lack of assertiveness. Still, she had been very supportive.

He watched her stir as the morning light broke through the gaps of the curtains and then saw her lips move.

"_Viens-tu du ciel profond ou sors-tu de l'abîme,  
O Beauté? ton regard, infernal et divin,  
Verse confusément le bienfait et le crime,  
Et l'on peut pour cela te comparer au vin." ("Hymne a la Beaute", Charles Baudelaire)_

_Where did in God's name did she learn that?_ Shinichi was in a complete state of shock and then a whisper of a smile registered on his lips. _It seems as if she did spend more time in the library than I thought.  
_

"Up already, husband?" She muttered sleepily as she turned over to look at him.

"I have to go in half an hour."

"Already? What time is it?"

"7:30."

"Why didn't you wake me earlier?"

"You needed the sleep."

"But now we're going to miss breakfast."

"You have plenty of time to have breakfast. But I have to go earlier and organize a few things before hand."

"Why the hurry… there's still plenty of time for us to continue where we left off last night…" She remarked suggestively, baring her legs seductively.

Sorely tempted by the prospect, he regretfully held her off with a throw of a pillow in her direction. "Go back to sleep, _hentai_… Some of us have business to attend to." He spoke abruptly and kept his breathing under control. Chiaki Shinichi was a man afterall and there were chinks in that armour that he was still inclined to conceal.

Catching the pillow deftly, she studied his facial expression carefully. "Did Nodame not please you, husband?"

"No… not at all… it was a good… er… performance…" Shinichi said awkwardly. _How did one talk about such things? _

"Performance? You make it sound like a recital." She grumbled. "I'll have you know, I put all of my heart into it. The Nodame Special is not something I demonstrate freely to any audience."

"I know…" Shinichi blushed slightly, remembering the ferocity of her enthusiasm.

"Nodame felt like a bird flying for the first time. Nodame kept thinking that Nodame was going to fall to the ground. It was difficult at first… more difficult than I thought… And also, there is that line between pleasure and pain, like going into a very hot bath in the first few minutes. Still, I found it enjoyable in the end." She remarked, as if analyzing a piece of music.

"Just enjoyable?" Shinichi's manhood felt somewhat deflated by the rather off-hand and succinct description.

She scrounged up her lips thoughtfully. "Well… it was one of the rare moments that Nodame has really seen Shinichi. Not the Shinichi Chiaki that everyone else sees and admires but the real Shinichi Chiaki… the man that hides behind the music… no mask, no holding back, no pretence. It was Nodame's first time seeing the passion outside of the music."

"Did you… like… what you saw…" He stammered… almost diffidently.

"Hmmm… well… it's hard to say…" She pretended to think hard and then saw a boyishly disappointed expression creeping into his face. She shuffled over to his side of the bed and flung her arms around him with unrestrained ardour. "I loved everything I saw."

* * *

**II **

Franz Stresemann was deep in thought. So pensive was his mood that he did not realize that the attractive company he had been keeping had got out of the bed and gone to the bathroom. She was one of his usual types. Here today and discarded tomorrow. It was how he liked them. Despite his reputation for frivolity, however, he was not a frivolous man. Underneath the devil-may-care attitude, was a razor sharp mind that schemed, plotted and cared… when, of course, it suited him. Those who knew him well would know that there was something weighing on his mind at that moment. But apart from that, he was one who seldom let his guard down.

Stresemann was no idealist but the Conductors Guild was one of the few things he cared about since joining as an up and coming conductor almost thirty years earlier. He had no taste for administration and left that to others but it was well known that he was one of its power brokers. He did not see himself in that light except as his own way of guiding the guild to greater importance and influence in the classical music world. Arguably, a word or two from him would influence others, not because he was politically minded or had any such ambitions but because he understood people and that they would happily confide in him things that even their partners were not privy to. He was good at keeping secrets but he was no sentimentalist and did not hesitate to use whatever resources he had at his disposal to achieve whatever end he deemed best.

In his entire career, Stresemann had only taken on a single apprentice. In spite of the constant nagging of his intrepid business manager, Elise, for years, Stresemann was able to steadfastly resist the expectation that someone of his calibre would bother with the mentoring of the younger generation. Nonetheless, there was something special about Shinichi Chiaki. A singular talent combined with a drive for musical perfection was something worth moulding. Chiaki, was to all intents and purposes, the perfect student. Furthermore, Chiaki had come bundled in a package with that dark horse Nodame. With characteristic shrewdness, Stresemann saw from the beginning… the wheels in his mind had determined to act… that those two would make an amusing and formidable pair. It was rare thing in the kind circles that he traveled for two people to be so different and yet so intrinsically bound together. With Nodame, while he saw something of himself in her, there was also something essentially naively bewitching about her. Hidden underneath all that naivety however, was a steely determination that thrived on challenge. _She would have to be, poor girl, to be able to wait around that long for Chiaki._ Hence, he was one of a handful of people who truly understood what it was that drew Chiaki to her.

Unknown to them all those years ago, Stresemann had appointed himself their "dark" guardian angel. In his own way, he cared about them. He had taken it upon himself to oversee their training and thus far was satisfied. Whatever knowledge he had of their individual personalities, he had put to good use. Their recent marriage was only the icing on the cake that he had helped stir the ingredients for. It was good to know that at least they would have something that he had once yearned for but never had. It was too late for him but he, at least, still had his outside interests.

While thoughts of the young couple gave him some degree of personal satisfaction, Stresemann was at this point deeply troubled by the recent rumblings within the guild… more troubled than he had let on at the last AGM. The growing rifts in the guild were a real threat to the continuity and long term health of the guild. The guild desperately needed changes but the old guard were obstinately resistant to any change. The newer, more progressive members were demanding immediate changes to the structure and powerbase of the organization. Personality conflicts were deteriorating and that meant threats of breakaway groups. In the old days, it was an unspoken code to shut up and put up with your worst enemy but the times were a'changing.

Stresemann's endorsement of Chiaki as secretary was meant to placate both sides. In many ways he was the perfect candidate. He was relatively young, charismatic, intellectual and had the oriental quality of being respectful of his elders. That he was Japanese was both a selling point and an obstacle. The guild had been accused of being discriminatory in the past… the dominance of Europeans in its powerbase. Hence, many from within and outside the guild thought that for the organization to be much more viable, it needed to be much more international in its outlook. Although Chiaki was not the first non-European or North American to fill that position, he was the youngest. While a sizeable majority supported his appointment not everyone was equally amenable. To those, he was the "token" Asian on the committee.

Much to his surprise Stresemann found an ally in Sebastiano Vieira, a rival and a man he had loathed for years. It was Vieira who approached him initially, expressing his own concern for the divisions in the guild and the need for the guild to become more in tune with the times. It was a tentative truce, with both men well aware of the problems which threatened to tear their beloved guild apart. The younger generation had little qualms about breaking away, something in which the more progressive of the older guard were deeply concerned about.

Both these men had powerful voices in the guild and as the apprentice of both, Chiaki was their common ground. They knew that he would not be their pawn… or anyone's pawn but on him rested their hope for the future of the guild.

Still, Stresemann couldn't help but wonder if they had not put on Chiaki a burden that he was not ready to bear. It was unfair, of course… a young man on his honeymoon had other priorities that did not include being caught in the middle of a barn fight. Nevertheless, Stresemann was a man concerned for the big picture and right now from his vantage point, the big picture was in jeopardy… and in danger of becoming a shattered relic with nothing left but useless shards of history.

* * *

**III **

Left to her own devices and after recent exertions, Nodame was on the prowl for food and the smorgasbord offered by the hotel did not disappoint. What was disappointing, however, were the sizes of the plates which on appearance could barely hold enough to satisfy her ravenous appetite. Croissants, bread rolls, English muffins, an assortment of spreads towered precariously over a selection of steaming bacon, scrambled eggs and grilled tomatoes. She hung on to the dish with all the aplomb of a tight rope walker. It was a balancing act that she had become adept at over the years.

So absorbed was she in her food that Nodame was completely oblivious to her surroundings and to the two men who were casting surreptitious glances in her direction.

"So that is Chiaki's lovely new bride?"

"Yes… Megumi Noda."

"She's not at all what I expected. Not the stunning sophisticated beauty I was expecting. I would have thought that a man of his ilk would be somewhat more… how shall I put it… discerning."

"Don't underestimate her, James. She did take the silver medal at the Tilburn afterall. Rumour has it that she foiled a kidnapping in Rome."

"Oh, I don't underestimate anyone which is why the ladies love me. But it's a fascinating insight into the husband, don't you think? His choice of a life partner. I wonder what it is he sees in her."

"Who knows… Do we care?"

"I care… very much. She intrigues me, that Megumi Noda… in an earthy, uncouth sort of way. Yes, she will be an interesting challenge."

"James… you're not thinking of…"

"Come, come… it'll be fun. These conferences are always such a bore. I need a little diversion."

"Can't you just play golf like everyone else?"

"Golf is such a tedious game. Wasn't it Mark Twain that said... 'Golf is a good walk spoiled.' The man was on to something. But women… they offer countless pleasures, my friend."

"She just got married, for goodness sake, man."

"Better and better. It makes the hunt that much more enjoyable."

"You are incorrigible, you know that."

"Guilty… but I have such a good time being so."

"One day, James… you are going to…"

"Oh do stop nagging, Peter… Now, be a good boy and run along. Go somewhere that's not here. I have work to do."

The man called James was James Harrington Beresford III, music director of the London Symphonia… a brilliant composer and pianist with a weakness for wine, whiskey and women. He was good-looking in an oily sort of way and used it to his full advantage. He indulged in a little preening before ambling towards his intended subject.

"Excuse me… but I couldn't help noticing that you were alone. May I sit with you?"

Nodame was unable to answer with a croissant hanging out on one side of her mouth and a piece of bacon danging from the other. With no other means available to her, she nodded in her most amiable manner.

"A pretty lady like you should not be left alone." He flashed her his most agreeable smile. _There's something appealing about this creature… in an almost vulgar sort of way. _"I can't imagine how your husband can tear himself away from you."

_Pretty?_ "Uhucallenmeapttyleidai." Nodame obviously hadn't been schooled in the Emily Post institute of etiquette and was loathed to be interrupted while breaking fast.

Beresford determined to carry this through, was undeterred by her lack of delicacy. "I'm very pleased to have finally met you Mrs Chiaki."

Nodame swallowed her food whole and choked. _Did he call me Mrs Chiaki? Muki… so he did. It sounds strange… very strange. But I could get used to it. _

Recovering her wits, she said graciously, "Please call me Nodame, Mr…er…?"

"Beresford. But I would prefer it if you called me James."

"Sure, James…" Nodame twittered girlishly and pointed to his aquiline nose.

"What's the matter?" Beresford wondered if he'd just walked into the March Hare's tea party.

"There's a piece of bacon on your nose. Sorry, it's probably my fault." Still she seemed heartily amused by her faux pas.

_Is this woman for real? What is her game, I wonder?_ "No problems, Nodame." He pulled his handkerchief and wiped off the offending bacon. _I'm glad I put in a clean handkerchief this morning. _

"How do you know who I am?" She looked at him curiously.

"How can I not know who you are? Megumi Noda, the winner of the silver medal at the Tilburn and recently married to Mr Chiaki, our new secretary. It would be remiss of me not to know such important things."

"Oh, so you're a conductor too."

"Among many things. I am a man of many interests as I am sure you are an accomplished woman."

"Me accomplished? Where did you hear that?" Nodame looked puzzled.

"I hear many things from many places…" was the quick come back. "But I am sure you are a lady of many talents." _Is she deliberately being coy?_

"Not really. I like the piano but I can't cook, I'm untidy and I don't take baths as regularly I should." She said matter-of-factly.

Beresford gave his best impression of being entertained. "Really… Nodame, you are such a funny person."

Nodame shrugged her shoulders. "Most people think I'm strange, including my husband."

_Is this all an act? If so, she's a better actress than I gave her credit for._

"So what kinds of things are you interested in?"

"I like… eating, going to the beach and _Puri Gorota_."

"_Puri Gorota_?"

"It's a Japanese manga/anime series." Seeing the blank look, she added, "Japanese comic book and animation series."

"How delightful… Do you do this often… _Puri Gorota_, I mean?"

"Oh I have the entire series on DVD as well as the manga collection."

"Wow… how very enchanting…" _Mental note: call Jack to find out about this Puri Gorota thing._

"Nodame… I can't couldn't help noticing what a healthy appetite you seem to have."

"Yes, I do like my food." She convulsed into a fit of laughter, showing bits of croissant and muffin sticking to her top front teeth.

"I can see that… will you be able to finish all of that?"

"Absolutely… I would have taken more except that this plate is rather small."

"You realize, of course, that you can go back for extra helpings?"

"I can? Really… that's amazing." Nodame looked like a child that had been given an assortment of confectionery.

_A pig in a doll's disguise. A frightening creature in some ways and yet…_

Unfortunately for Beresford, he did not have a chance to probe further on that occasion. From a distance, Stresemann had seen them engaged in, what appeared to be, a lively exchange. _What does that Don Juan think he's doing? _

Immediately it aroused all his protective hackles and he stormed up to them.

"What do you think you're doing?" He alternated glances between Nodame and Beresford.

"Milch, you're here."

"Go away Beresford, stay away from her." Nodame had never seen the normally cool and collected Stresemann on a rampage.

"Herr Stresemann… what an unpleasant surprise. I was here first. Go and find your own quarry."

"Nodame and I are old friends." Stresemann wanted very much to throttle him on the spot.

"Really? Somehow I find it hard to believe that you are friends with any woman."

"It's true, James… Milch and I are friends from when I was a student in Japan."

"Curioser and curioser… does your husband know about this?"

"Oh yes, Shinichi and I met Milch about the same time."

"Nodame… don't waste your breath on this man. Come on, let's go somewhere else and talk. The air here has turned foul." Stresemann grabbed her by the arm and dragged her off the table.

"But I haven't had any…" Nodame protested vainly and then waved to Beresford forlornly. "Bye, James."

"Lovely to meet you, Nodame." Beresford returned the wave, showing a brilliant set of whites.

A disgruntled Stresemann swept her away as fast his legs could carry her. "I'll buy you a cup of tea from the café outside." He promised.

Nodame, brushing the dust from off of herself, was far from impressed by Stresemann's belligerence. "What's the matter with you, Milch? He was just being friendly."

"He is always being friendly. He cannot be trusted with women."

"Like you, you mean…" She accusingly.

"Like me?" Stresemann looked hurt. "We're different… He collects women like trophies."

"And you don't?" Nodame challenged.

Stresemann chose to ignore the obvious dig. "His specialty is married women and it seemed as if you were his next target."

"Me?" Nodame giggled. "Why me? You're being overprotective, Milch."

"I'm serious… that man is a shark and a wolf combined… I wouldn't trust him with my mother."

Nodame flashed him a mischievous grin. "It takes one to know one, right?"

Stresemann narrowed his eyes. "Whatever… just don't let him get close to you. Mark my words, that man is nothing but a predator underneath all that gloss."

She tried to reassure him. "All right, Milch… don't worry. I'll be extra careful. Besides, men like that aren't usually interested in women like me."

Stresemann, on the other hand, was not as confident. "I hope you're right."

* * *

"Why so glum, Chiaki?" The president of the Conductors Guild looked momentarily concerned. "You really look like you want to be here." He added with a twinge of irony and a grin. 

Alex Weiss was the incumbent president and had been a leading light of the guild for over twenty years. First as an ordinary member, then secretary, and then vice president. His success in the guild had much more to do with his affable nature… his ability to smooth over ruffled feathers… than any real accomplishments on his part. The presidency was more the public face of the guild than an office with any real power. Alex Weiss did not need to distinguish himself as an administrator… he was a figurehead to remind the world that conductors were an active force in the classical music industry. The real work of the guild, whether in negotiating financial matters, promoting the classical music industry or meeting with other interests groups, fell to the secretary, treasurer and occasionally vice-president. Weiss played it safe… and he was a safe choice. Nobody disliked him even if they secretly hoped that he would be much more proactive for the guild.

"Oh, I think Mr Chiaki would prefer to be elsewhere. He is a man with new priorities now." A soft spoken, gentle looking man with a graying fringe looked on with a slight smile. Although not a committee member, Ivan Chekhov was one of the guild's more loyal and longest serving members.

"New priorities?" Weiss looked puzzled and then slapped his forehead in horror. "Didn't you just get married, Chiaki? Congratulations! I can't believe that I forgot."

"Well, he's certainly showing his commitment to the guild by being here, instead of his honeymoon." Chekhov observed with a slightly amused look on his face.

"Honeymoon? _Mein gott_… What were you thinking?"

Chiaki smiled weakly. "A moment of madness, I think."

"Or were you trying to escape the little lady?" Weiss only just managed to hold back a guffaw.

Shaking his head, Chiaki explained, "We talked about it and felt that it was important for me to be here at the moment. She understands how vital the role of the guild is for my career."

"An advantage of marrying a fellow musician, I suppose." Chekhov commented.

Chiaki nodded. "It helps a lot. She's… she's been very patient." _Nine years… I suppose that counts as patience._

"Lucky fellow! Sounds like quite a woman. I'd like to meet her some time." Weiss slapped Chiaki heartily on the back. "Dinner tomorrow night perhaps?" He added amiably.

"It would be our honour."

* * *

"Nodame… there's something else important we need to talk about." 

Although the German composer had his hand on her lap, he looked unusually subdued and restrained.

The intensity of her gaze matched his sobriety. "What is it, Milch?"

"Do you remember the time when you came into my office and asked me to let Chiaki change over to the conducting course?"

"Of course… as if it was just yesterday."

"Well, I want you to do the same for him again.."

"You want me to kiss you again… and then punch you out?" Nodame looked at him incredulously.

A ghost of a smile swept past his lips. "I want you to fight for him."

"Huh?"

"He needs you to be a wife to him. It's your turn to take care of him."

"Take of him?" Nodame echoed dumbfounded. _Me take care of him?_ _He's always taken care of me, hasn't he?_

"There are things that are going to happen that will test him as a man and he is going to need all your strength and determination to get through this."

"What kind of things?"

"I cannot say…"

"Eh? Why not? Is it… some… secret conductors' business?"

"I don't really know myself…" Stresemann gave a loud sigh. "But it's not anything good probably."

"Milch… what have you got him into this time?" Nodame glowered at him with her most intimidating look.

Cowering slightly, Streseman protested. "It wasn't me… it was that… Vieira…"

* * *

James Harrington Beresford III was deep in thought. He had never met anyone, much less a woman, like Megumi Noda Chiaki in his life. She certainly lacked the finer points of femininity and yet seemed to be oddly comfortable with it. Surely nobody could be that strange without some degree of contrivance. Still there was a distinct ring of honesty about this woman and the husband was the key to this puzzle. _What the hell does Chiaki see in her? Was that merely a well disguised façade? Is there more to that coarse, simplistic creature. There has to be something. A perfectionist like Chiaki doesn't just fall for anyone._

At that moment, something happened to Beresford that hadn't happened since the day he discovered classical music. He became intrigued. While he had been out, someone had slipped under his room door, an envelope with a ticket to a recital given by the aforementioned Megumi Noda. Putting the ticket to his lips and meditating over its ramifications, the corners of his mouth gradually turned up into a smile.

* * *

**Author's Comments:**

_I'm afraid this is as much adult material as you're going to get from me. ;)_

_The physical side to Nodame and Chiaki's relationship is at best, somewhat ambiguous, in the manga. Hence, I have taken a few liberties and for the sake of storytelling have chosen to take the course that I have._

_The lovely poem by Baudelaire, "Hymn to Beauty", quoted by Nodame I found on baudelaire.cz with English and Czech translations included. It's a great site... worthy of a visit. Now, it seems the trend to quote poetry these days but when I planning this piece, I had already made up my mind to include some poetry without recourse to what anyone else was doing. _

_My thanks to **Tacitus-8**,**Melpomene melancholia**, **kana-chan**, **mmestrange** and**aj98** for your keen interest in this story at this early stage. I hope not to disappoint and to tell a good story at the end of the day… that is if I haven't bitten off more than I can chew. And dear **miyuki92**… such faith, friend! I hope I won't let you down._

_**aj98**… yeah, thanks for your concern… I've had a few question marks hovering over my head about the amount of time I spend on fan fics. I will attempt at least one more ficlet for __The Labours of Shinichi Chiaki_

_As usual I would appreciate any comments that anyone would care to make._


	3. Chapter 2

**Chapter 2**

_And now good-morrow to our waking souls,  
Which watch not one another out of fear ;  
For love all love of other sights controls,  
And makes one little room an everywhere.  
Let sea-discoverers to new worlds have gone ;  
Let maps to other, worlds on worlds have shown ;  
Let us possess one world ; each hath one, and is one._

_("The Good Morrow", John Donne)_

**I**

Justin Lee was worried. His normally boyishly enthusiastic countenance had anxiety written all over it. The brash, young Taiwanese born conductor paced up and down his room, glancing at his cell phone at regular intervals. He was expecting company… important company. It was to be a life changing moment, one that he had looked forward to with much anticipation… and yet there was no hide or hair of her. His lovely bride-to-be was supposed to have rung at breakfast and for them to meet for lunch and then... _I wonder if her mother found out about it and put a stop to it. Damn that woman… she seems to have eyes and ears everywhere._

It had been one of his crazier ideas… the two of them eloping but it seemed the perfect opportunity. Both of them meeting up in Vienna at the end of her European tour and marrying quietly in a church service somewhere, away from the public eye... away from her mother's all controlling eye. Justin was tired of waiting… and for the mother in question to give her blessing which did not seem forthcoming.

"She doesn't think I'm good enough for you." He had said angrily.

"It's not you, Justin… She just doesn't think anybody is good enough for me." She had tried to console him. "We just have to give it time."

"Time? How much time?"

"I don't know."

That uncertainty had weighed uneasily on his shoulders, as one who was passionately and sincerely in love. He couldn't understand why the dragon lady was slow to accept him as a future son-in-law. As far as his credentials were concerned, it seemed to him impeccable. With his background and promising career, he was more than capable of looking after the daughter financially and furthermore, was immensely supportive of her career. And yet that dragon lady… was reticent about his qualifications as a potential husband and hovered between them like a disruptive spectre. Needless to say, he was assailed by doubts of his own worthiness, the daughter's desire to be with him and the mother's objections to this union. Perhaps it wasn't the mother but the daughter that was holding back. Had she been stringing him along all this time? A lesser man would have given up but Justin had been remarkably dogged. After three years, there were still many unanswered questions… A part of him sensed that it was she who was holding back which is why he had been somewhat surprised that she had agreed to the elopement as readily as she had. Three months earlier, in one of his more impetuous moments, he had raised the possibility and she fell in with it immediately. So excited was he at the time, he had not given it a second thought. It never occurred to him to question her sudden eagerness or change of heart.

_What could be keeping her now? Could she have changed her mind and not told me?_

A rap on the door brought him out of his ruminations and back down to earth.

* * *

**II **

Sebastiano Vieira was worried about many things but at that moment in particular, it was the four year old that had been thrust into his care that occupied his thoughts. He regretted bringing him along but his wife was having an eleven o'clock appointment with the hairdresser and had no time for the exploits of the rambunctious preschooler while in the confines of a hairdresser's chair. Antonio was their grandson, the only child of their only son and though precocious, was prone to mishaps characteristic of his age. There was much on Vieira's mind… the problems besetting the guild being the most dominant and a momentary lapse of concentration allowed the boy to wander off on his own. Vieira wasn't entirely worried. The boy had to be somewhere within the confines of the Sala Terrena. Sometimes called "Mozart's house", the hall was part of the monastery of the "German Teutonic Order", where Mozart lived under the patronage of the Archbishop Collredo in 1781.

Using his connections and reputation, Vieira was able to negotiate two recitals for Nodame at the Sala Terrena during her time in Vienna. An evening and an afternoon session. It was the least he could do for dragging the poor girl's husband away from her during her honeymoon. Still, there was no doubt of her talent in anyone's mind. Consequently, it was never a hard sell to begin with… silver medalist of the Tilburn, engaged to the secretary of the Conductor's Guild. A brush with heroism gaining the friendship of the royal family of a little known European principality during the Rome incident gained her some degree of notoriety. She had already become something of a minor celebrity in her own right.

Vieira had liked her from the first. He had wondered from time to time what sort of woman his long-time apprentice had ended up with. She was something of a mystery as Shinichi had not been especially garrulous about that subject. Although he had been reunited with Shinichi five years previous, he had only met Nodame eighteen months earlier. Meeting her for the first time, it was immediately evident to him that there was a rare guileless quality about her which was quite disarming and lovable. One thing that struck him immediately was that there was a lack of pretence… there was no façade to shield her from the world. Her face was there for all the world to see, scrutinize and judge. It amused him at first that Shinichi, who had become rather stoic in his adulthood would choose someone so completely opposite him to be his life partner. Once he saw past the exasperated looks and gestures that Shinichi would cast occasionally in her direction, Vieira was certain that his former apprentice was deeply fond of the young woman that had completely captured his affections.

"I like her, Shinichi…" Vieira had said.

"Really? I'm glad." Shinichi had averted his eyes and there had been a noticeable emotional ring in his voice. "Most people think she's rather strange."

"She's strange alright… but that's all part of the appeal, isn't it?" Shinichi had caught a twinkle in Vieira's eye.

"Appeal? I don't know about that…" Shinichi had muttered. "She's hard to live with… messy, disorganized and she has an appetite of a bottomless pit."

"We're all hard to live with one way or another but isn't that what a marriage of true minds is all about? Finding a way to make the similarities and differences work?"

"Marriage? Who's talking about marriage?" Shinichi had continued mumbling nervously.

"Surely, you must have thought about it? You've been together for so long."

Shinichi had looked embarrassed. "Er… no… I haven't…" He had lied, thinking discreetly about the ring he had bought months earlier.

Vieira patted his shoulder affectionately and ruffled his hair. "Don't let her wait too long. Devotion like hers doesn't come by everyday. You love her, don't you?"

Shinichi had said nothing… instead he had suddenly taken a keen interest in the wood grain patterns which marked the floor.

Vieira had found Shinichi's reticence meaningful. Clearly he had thought much about it and clearly he had lingering reservations. He did not press the point but knew that it was something that the younger man had to come to terms with on his own.

And come to terms he had.

* * *

Waiting for Vieira _sensei_ to arrive, an awestruck Nodame gazed dreamily at the sublime beauty of the late Renaissance frescos that was to be the backdrop of her recitals. _Nodame is going to play here in this place. Where Mozart once performed many concerts. The place where he lived and wrote _The Marriage of Figaro_. Nodame will play here tonight and make music history. Nodame… is now a professional musician. It is my job and my joy to make people feel many things with my music_

That thought brought with it some degree of excitement and… fear… _I mustn't let anyone down. Everyone expects so much of me. Vieira sensei, Shinichi… It's vital that I do well, if for no other reason other than that they will be proud of me._

A tug on her dress brought her out of her reverie. Nodame looked around her and saw a small figure only a little higher than her knee, glaring at her with eyes wide as saucers.

"Are you alright, little boy?" She stooped to face him and examined his person.

The boy did not seem to understand what she was asking and continued to stare.

"Where are your parents, little boy?" Nodame looked concerned.

Still there was no answer… and no parents in sight. Instead the boy started humming and ran towards the piano.

He stood there for some moments, waiting and continued looking at Nodame before attempting to open the piano lid.

"Do you want to play the piano, little boy?" She asked, eyeing him curiously and slowly made her approach as not to frighten him.

The boy seemed not to hear her being preoccupied with the piano. His small arms, however, did not have the strength to lift the lid.

"Come… let me help you…" Nodame offered. "These things aren't made for children. They're quite heavy." She added gently.

It didn't matter to Nodame that the boy did not understand her words, she only wanted him to know that she was no one he had to be afraid of.

"Here it is… all done…" She heaved and made a show of dusting her hands as she opened the lid to reveal the black and ivory keys. "Go ahead… enjoy…" She turned to go and then felt someone pulling her scarf.

"Huh… what is it?" She quizzed. "Do you want me to stay with you?" The boy reached for her hand and indicated that he wanted her to sit.

"Okay… I'll stay and keep you company until your mum and dad come for you." _Where are his parents? They must be here somewhere._

He started tinkering on the keys an abriged version of _Minuet in G_.

"That's pretty good… who taught you that?" She asked him after he'd finished but as was the case earlier, received no answer. He prodded her and pulled her hand onto the keys as if to say "play".

"Do you want Nodame to play?" She queried, pointing to herself. "Really? Nodame is not as good as you are. But she'll try her best. Hmmm… I will play you my Moja Moja Suite. Now listen carefully, won't you?"

The lively melody captured the boy's attention and they both rocked to its beat enthusiastically the entire time. As the piece came to an end, the boy snuggled up closer to Nodame and tried to play the piece himself.

A single burst of applause followed. "Nodame is too modest. She's just as good as Antonio." Both sets of eyes turned to where the speaker stood and the boy jumped off his chair and raced towards his arms. "Nonno!"

"You little rascal… so this is where you ran to." He chided the boy and said a few choice words in Italian before turning to Nodame. "I'm sorry, my dear, the boy is quite a handful and on days like these, I feel my age."

"He was no trouble at all, Vieira _sensei_… and I like children." She assured the conductor.

"So I see. Any plans to have any of your own?" He gave her a knowing grin.

Nodame turned slightly pink. "Erm… I would love to but… but… " The pink hues on her cheek turned a bright red. _Not yet._

"It doesn't depend entirely on you." He finished the sentence for her. "Have you both talked about it?"

"Not really… I tried to once…" A crestfallen look replaced the shy one. "It's something he'd rather avoid thinking about if he could."

"Why is that… you think…"

"I… I… think he's afraid."

"Afraid? Of what?"

"Of his father… or becoming like his father. That he will be a bad father."

"I see. He told you this?"

"He doesn't have to. He hates his father with a passion and yet deep inside I know he wants his father's approval."

"Have you met him?"

Nodame shook her head. "Not in person. But I saw Masayuki Chiaki perform in Paris several years ago."

"Has Shinichi been in touch with him?"

"As far as I know, no…" Nodame said sadly. "I don't think he wants to."

"It would be a grave tragedy if Shinichi allowed his past to become a hindrance to his future. You should talk to him about it, Nodame."

"I don't know… He almost bit my head off five years ago when I brought it up."

"This thing will become a shadow between you if you don't. It will follow you both and may even tear you apart. You have to talk to him about it for your sake and for his."

"I don't know if I'm the one to do it…"

"There's no one more suited. You are his wife now… you must help him come to terms with the past. For the sake of your future or any children you wish to have."

Nodame sighed. "This is the second time today someone has said something like that to me."

* * *

**III **

Meanwhile at the guild business meeting everything was running oddly to schedule.

"Franz… it seems like our new secretary is handling himself rather well. He's managed to get most the members to agree on the new salary packages and revisions to clause 3.1 of the Membership Act. " A voice spoke in low tones past Stresemann's ear.

"No less from an apprentice of mine." Stresemann emphasized with some degree of pride.

"Well, technically speaking, wasn't he Vieira's pupil first?"

Stresemann snapped back with undue irritation. "So what are you saying? I was second choice?"

"No… no, nothing like that." The other man sounded suitably intimidated. "I'm just surprised that you agreed to take on a student after years of avoiding it like the plague."

Franz shifted uncomfortably in his seat. "I wasn't interested in mediocrity… It was refreshing to finally discover someone who was worthy of my time and efforts."

_You mean you had finally found a worthy victim of your ridiculous horseplay._ "Well, he's good. On and off the podium."

"What is it that you want, Stanton? All this flattery must mean you are softening me up for something."

"I can't fool you, can I, Franz?"

"Stop wasting my time… what is it…"

Stresemann's ears perked up with greater interest when Stanton's voice carried with it a certain urgency. "Something's happened and we need to talk… not here… somewhere private."

* * *

"What's the matter with you Justin? A bit off your game this morning? You didn't even put up a single argument against the new proposals like you usually do. " Steve Wong, a close friend whispered to him. 

"Nothing's the matter… I'm fine. There wasn't any need to. Chiaki basically reworded most of what I said last time."

_Sure, he did._ "Still, you seem a little preoccupied… and you were late. You're never late for anything."

"I overslept."

"I saw you having a hurried breakfast at eight. OK, what is it, I can always tell that you're hiding something." Wong demanded suspiciously.

"There's nothing. I'm just a little tired."

"It's about her, isn't it? It usually is when you're in this kind of mood. She broke up with you, didn't she? By phone… most probably. Or a Dear Justin email. No guts to tell you in person herself."

"Look… give it a rest, won't you?" Justin Lee got up and in his frustration stormed out of the room. _I wonder if she has… I wonder if that's what all this means._

His friend stared after him and shook his head. _That idiot… falling apart all over a stupid overprotected ex-prodigy who wouldn't know a good thing even if she fell over it._

* * *

"So… how did your little session with the new Mrs Chiaki go, James? A roaring success, from the look of things." Was the biting observation by Beresford's bleary eyed companion. 

"Patience… Peter… Rome wasn't built in a day." Beresford responded suavely. "By the way, Peter… 'tis a bit early isn't it for a nip? Now… what is it that's lingering on your breath. A good twelve year old scotch, I daresay. Ah, your usual."

"Damn you James… You're a real bastard, you know that…"

"Tsk, tsk, tsk. The language that comes out of your mouth when you've had one too many, Drake. And yes, I am… completely. You of all people should know that better than anyone."

"Go to…"

"Shush man… Calm down before you say or do something that you'll regret later. Everything in moderation, I always say."

* * *

Chiaki kept up all appearances of calm while he shook hands with friend and foe alike. _This is just the first session of the first day. I wonder if I'm going to survive the week. On my honeymoon too._ He groaned inwardly. _Still it could've been worse… a lot worse…_ He recalled the circumstances of three years ago and the nightmare conference that the triennial gathering devolved into. The place was a battle zone… every major issue had been like a fight to the death. People seemed hell bent on tearing each other's throats out._But this year… it's different… it's a lot more subdued. Don't know if I should be rejoicing or worried._

His thoughts soon turned to more personal matters. _I wonder if she's alright… all alone on our honeymoon. I must've been insane to think that we could actually juggle everything._

_I should be out there with her now… but here I am preoccupied with weighty matters that affect the future of many while my personal life is on hold again. Is this going to be the story of our life together? Is this our fate… off doing different things and missing each other. It seems as though she's usually the one relegated to the sidelines, waiting for me. How does she keep doing this? Waiting… so patiently… _

_This will be the last time, Nodame… I promise. No more of you waiting for me to catch up to where you are._

* * *

"It's good of you to show me around, Vieira sensei." Nodame said gratefully. "To organize all of this." She waved her hand over the building behind them as they walked out onto the main road and back to the hotel. 

"It's my pleasure, my dear… you know that. Anything for you and Shinichi." The Italian conductor added warmly. "And any excuse to get out of those dreary business meetings." He shot her a mischievous wink to which Nodame responded with a giggle.

They were walking some distance in silence before he noticed that she was lost in her thoughts while being led by the hand by young Antonio.

"Is everything alright, Nodame?"

"Fine… "

"You seem very quiet."

"Was I… I didn't mean to be rude…"

"Not at all. Are you nervous?"

"A little… but I'll be alright once I get behind the piano."

Vieira sensed that Nodame was not in the mood to be communicative and did not probe further. It seemed to him that she was grappling with matters that were deeply personal and did not think it warranted more interference on his part. As it was, he had given her sufficient food for thought.

For the first time since she confessed to Stresemann that her dream was to become the wife of Chiaki _senpai_, Nodame was experiencing growth pangs. She had worked so hard to get to this point, only to be confronted with the overwhelming fact that being the wife of Shinichi Chiaki was laden with tremendous responsibilities that she had not considered hitherto. It had been her fanciful, girlish wish to be with him… a wish which gradually blossomed into love and eventually became requited. Slowly but surely she won his way into his heart. Now that she had scaled that mountain, it seemed like there was another one to climb.

Megumi Noda, a seaweed farmer's daughter from Kyushu, now married to a prince and trying to stake a claim in his world. Would she live happily ever after in the palace with the prince of her dreams? Or would she hobble around with one shoe, trailing behind him always?

* * *

**IV **

Peter Drake tumbled into his room semi-inebriated. As Beresford's acute olfactory senses had detected, his dependency on alcohol was soon becoming more of an issue than was healthy… one in which he had no intention of confronting. It was doing much too good a job masking the emotional torment that was raging through his mind.

_Damn you, Beresford… you think you know everything, don't you?_

Reaching into the right pocket of his sports jacket, he pulled out a crumpled piece of paper that he'd stared at on numerous occasions the past few days, torturing himself with its words.

_Dear Mr Drake_

_We thank you for your recent application. After much deliberation, we have finally filled the position of Principal Conductor here at the Wiltshire Orchestra. We short listed a field of 5 and with great difficulty came up with one whom we believe would adapt well to the conditions of our orchestra._

_Let us assure you that we gave all our applicants due consideration and the task was no easy one, given the quality candidates we were faced with. Unfortunately, at the end of the day, your profile and experience did not match our requirements. _

_We offer you our best wishes for the future._

_Yours truly,_

It had been his last ditch effort to save his ailing marriage. He knew full well that Susan would leave him the moment she found out, knowing he had no means to support the extravagant lifestyle she had been accustomed to. _Experience, my foot. Fifteen years in the game… more experience than the pup they probably ended up hiring. I wonder… if they found out about the drinking._

_Who am I trying to kid? Everyone knews about the drinking… even Weiss… the ditzy devil._

_It was good while it lasted… we had some good times, Sue and I. But in the end I was never good enough for her. A fantasy on my part to think I could make her happy._

While Drake was busy lamenting his fate, a note was quietly slipped under his door. A note that would further rock the foundations of his world.

Despite all appearances, Beresford was less than flippant about Drake's drinking. He could see that it was gradually getting out of control._It's probably that bag that he calls his wife that's driven him to this, with her spending habits and toy boys. He's always liked his drink but this is getting beyond ridiculous. _Peter was closest thing he had to for a friend since their Oxford days and even if he would be the last person to admit it, he was worried.

When Peter failed to make an appearance at lunch, Beresford had an inkling that something was amiss. _It's not like him to pass up some good grub. Still he's a big boy and I'm not his keeper…_

Nonetheless, a feeling of dread accompanied him the rest of the day. Towards the afternoon, his conscience was so clamoring to be heard, after being out of practice, that he felt compelled to personally check up on Drake.

"Peter, old fellow… I've come to see if you're up for a game of cards this evening." He spoke as naturally as he could, erasing any anxiety that he could out of his voice.

There was no reply, not even the whisper of footsteps.

_Maybe he stepped outside for a bit of fresh air… or maybe he went to sleep off whatever it is he had this morning._

Beresford, however, felt compelled to try again. "Peter, my good man… is everything alright?"

But still… the occupant of the room was either absent or persistent in remaining silent.

It occurred to Beresford then that he should try Drake's mobile phone, which he heard ring continuously for a few minutes behind the door. A loud crashing sound followed and then an eerie stillness. This was when Beresford reached the conclusion that drastic measures had to be called for.

"Mr Beresford… this is very unusual and might I add, irregular. We would only do something like this if the authorities required us to do so. In this hotel, we respect the privacy of our patrons…"

"If Mr Drake makes a complaint, I will take responsibility for it. Just open that damn door, my good man."

The concierge mumbled something in German about mad, paranoid British tourists and grudgingly motioned for his security guard to use his card key.

The door flew open and Beresford was the first one in and locked his gaze initially toward the rumpled but empty bed.

"It looks like Mr Drake isn't here." The concierge folded his arms with some satisfaction.

"And left his wallet, keys and phone behind? I don't think so." Beresford pointed to the said items on the dresser in the entranceway. "I'm going to check the bathroom."

"Mr Beresford… there could be any number of reasons…" The concierge was protested indignantly and then lapsed into Germanic expressions best left untranslated.

The bathroom door was ajar and Beresford peered in cautiously. Right in the middle of the glittering tiled floor, laid the body of a heavy set man, face down.

Beresford gawked for a few seconds before shouting, "Good God, Peter… someone call the ambulance… the police… something…"

* * *

**Author's Comments**

_Sorry that this took as long as it did… I'm nursing a cold and the rest of the family aren't that much better than I am._

_Anyhow… I hope you find it interesting. It's still somewhat in the setup stage though I did try and throw a few bits and pieces to whet the appetite._

_Thanks to __**Kandida**__**, kana-chan**__**, laura**__**, Tacitus**__**, aj98, **__**mmestrange**__**, lazzykane**__ and, of course __**Melpomene **__for your inspiring reviews. It's much more fun writing when you know you have your own personal cheer squad urging you on._

_**mmestrange**__: Are you a French speaker? I'd love to get in touch with you. Could you PM please? I'm thinking of introducing a French character into the mix. I almost made the James Beresford French._

_**lazzykane:**__ It's been a while. Yeah, I know exactly how you feel which is why I usually hate making people wait._

_**aj98:**__ Your confidence is inspiring. Thank you. It is tough with the kiddies._

_**Melpomene:**__ I'm glad you're enjoying it and that you're able to pick up on things that you especially like._

_**Tacitus:**__ Well, you know how much I love to __give Chiaki "character building moments". :D  
_


	4. Chapter 3

Chapter 3

_Now therefore, while the youthful hue  
Sits on thy skin like morning dew,  
And while thy willing soul transpires  
At every pore with instant fires,  
Now let us sport us while we may,  
And now, like amorous birds of prey,  
Rather at once our time devour  
Than languish in his slow-chapt power.  
Let us roll all our strength and all  
Our sweetness up into one ball,  
And tear our pleasures with rough strife  
Thorough the iron gates of life:  
Thus, though we cannot make our sun  
Stand still, yet we will make him run._

_("To his Coy Mistress", Andrew Marvell)_

**I**

Nodame sank into one of the leather arm chairs in the hotel lobby feeling greatly contented. Lunch with Vieira sensei had been al fresco at an Italian restaurant where Nodame readily devoured a large steak pizzaiola, a Caesar salad, garlic bread and a slice of chocolate Bavarian cheesecake, while Vieira sensei looked on faintly amused.

"Didn't you have any breakfast, Nodame?" The conductor had asked.

"Oh yes, definitely. Why?"

"You seem rather hungry." _To put it mildly._

"Oh… the walk around town gave me an appetite. But I had to have the Chocolate Bavarian when I saw it."

"Of course you did."

It had been satisfactory excursion, aside from lunch, Nodame was not only able to soak in the atmosphere of the performance venue but also to place herself at the cross-roads of European culture that musicians through the ages had traversed. She would be one of many treading the path that those who came before cleared the way. And yet she too would add her mark to the emblazoned path for those who would come after her. It was a duty that she took seriously. As seriously as doing justice to a delectable steak topped with a sweet and sour Italian dressing.

Out of the corner of her eye, Nodame noticed an elegantly dressed female figure hidden under a pair of sunglasses and a red and blue silk scarf apparently watching her every move. When Nodame turned for a better look at her unknown observer, the woman in the scarf turned her head away as if on cue. _Why is she watching me? Is she one of those crazed fans… a stalker?_

Nodame was on the alert, deliberating what her next move should be when minutes later, a young, attractive male could be seen running out of a lift towards the sunglasses-scarf lady. He was obviously ecstatic to see her and they were both locked in an embrace for some moment. Nodame scratched her hair and stared searchingly at this mysterious couple … there_was_ something vaguely familiar about the scarf lady… as if she did know her from somewhere. _Isn't he that conductor from Taiwan… the one who has just been appointed music director at the Chicago Phil? Is that his girlfriend or something?_

Before she could make out who the woman was, the couple disappeared out of sight into a lift. _Ah well… as long as she's not stalking me…_

If she been inquisitive enough to follow them and skilled enough to skulk unheard down the corridors of the Ambassador Hotel, she would have happened upon an enlightening conversation… the kind of conversation that was the diet of tabloids.

The young conductor from Taiwan spoke first, like a man in a dream. "You came."

The woman in the scarf, looking younger without her makeshift disguise. "I'm so sorry I was late, Justin. You won't believe how much trouble I had finding transportation out of Paris. Apparently there's a rail strike in Paris and every man, woman and dog was trying to fly out of there. I got onto the earliest flight they could give me. I didn't call because mother was constantly about nagging about this and that. I think she suspects something."

"She always suspects something. But you're here… that's the main thing."

"Well, don't just stand there gaping… let's go and get married."

"Rui… I want you to think about it carefully… You don't have to do this. It's just one of my crazy ideas."

"Are you getting cold feet?" She teased.

"Never. But you… I don't want you to do this because of some mistaken sense of obligation."

"Sshh.." She put her finger to his lip. "I want to do this."

"Are you sure?"

"Yes, Justin… I'm so sure that I'm willing to incur the wrath of my mother to be here."

"As long as this is what you want…"

"It is… "

**II**

"This is absurd. That man is the closest thing I have to friend. Why would I want to sleep with his wife?"

Beresford was not the picture of calm that he usually presented to the world. Finding Peter Drake in bathroom barely breathing and then being questioned by the local police in this curt manner was doing little for his nerves. The agitation that he was desperately trying to conceal was creeping into his voice. The entire situation had caught him off guard and he was inwardly, gravely concern about his friend's condition.

The almost bald, mustachioed man sitting across from him answered "It wouldn't be the first time that has happened, Mr Beresford… and we understand that you have something of a reputation with the ladies."

"I don't even like her. She's not my type and I'm not her type either. She's likes them young… if you catch my drift, Inspector."

"I see." The inspector placed a photograph in front of him. "Recognize this?"

The photograph saw Beresford and an attractive blonde in her forties sitting on a park bench. Her hand was conspicuously fondling his knees.

Beresford gave a startled cry. "Where did you get this?"

"We found this in Mr Drake's jacket pocket…"

"That witch… she probably had someone watch us… and when she couldn't get what she wanted, she tried to use Peter to get back at me…" The inspector noticed that Beresford was tapping his fingers on the examination the table nervously.

"Who are you talking about?"

"Susan Drake… who else? She's the one who wanted this meeting... made it sound like it was a matter of life and death. "

"To what end…"

"For one of her toy boys. Her latest. She wanted me to use my influence to get him a place in the Symphonia. I told her where to get off and then she tried her charms on me which didn't work of course."

"I see. What happened after that?"

"Nothing happened. That was the last I'd heard of it until now."

"Did Mr Drake know about these 'toy boys'?"

Beresford nodded his head slowly. "I almost certain he did… although he never talked about it."

"And yet he remained in the relationship…"

"Peter was a fool about her… besotted… She ran through his inheritance faster than his parents had made it. She only married him for his money but he was crazy about her." He hesitated before continuing in a quieter tone of voice. "He started drinking more heavily right about the time the money started to dwindle."

"We also found this… in his jacket pocket… a rejection letter."

The inspector handed Beresford the crumpled note that had been so much on Peter Drake's mind.

"Poor bastard…" was the grim response.

"Did you know about this?"

"No. But I did know that he was looking for a position somewhere."

"Is it possible that his recent misfortunes pushed him over the edge to cause him to take his own life?"

Beresford frowned. "Suicide? Peter… I can't believe that…"

"But you have your suspicions…" The inspector pressed.

"Peter is many things…" Beresford paused to consider. "But drinking himself to death in a hotel room… that's ludicrous. It sounds like the plot of a bad detective novel."

A faint smile appeared on the inspector's face. "You'd be surprised, Mr Beresford… these sorts of things happen every day."

"Well, I'm glad it's your job and not mine to wade through the mire of the human condition."

"I'm sure."

"Can I go now? I have a friend I need to see."

"We may have more questions for you later so don't leave the country yet."

"I don't intend to. Well, at least not today. There's a recital that I'm very much looking forward to attending."

"A recital?"

"A piano recital by a Megumi Noda at the Sala Terrena. The only good thing to come out of this damn trip."

Saying that, he got up and left the room. Inside the safety of the walls of his mind, one thought reverberated throughout. _What did you do to yourself, Peter?_

Seeing that their witness was safely out of earshot, the inspector turned to his companion, who had been silent during the entire interview.

"So what do you think?"

"He's a lot more affected by it than he lets on."

"I know the type… lots of bravado, very debonair but when the fan hits the ceiling, they fall apart quickly."

"Why didn't you tell him about the other note?"

"I was more interested in seeing his reaction to the photograph and I doubt very much he had anything to do with that note."

"We should get in touch with the wife… get her story…"

"I don't think we'll find out much more than what he's already told us."

"So you're thinking that this is a suicide?" His subordinate asked thoughtfully.

To that comment the inspector made no reply.

While the two detectives were talking, the music director of the London Symphonia made his way toward his friend's hospital room.

"How's he doing?" He asked the attending physician who was examining the patient.

"He's in a critical stage but his condition's stabilized for now. The next 24 hours will be key. It's probably just as well that you found when you did. You probably saved his life."

_I'm sure he's going to thank me for it too._ Beresford winced at the irony of the situation. "A person can't drink themselves to death, can they, doctor?"

"They can… if they have a liver condition."

"Peter's got a liver condition…?"

"I don't think he knew himself. Or probably ignored the warning signs."

"You know, doctor… this has been a day of many surprises and none of them good. I would hate to tempt fate and leave this place. However, duty calls. Can you be so kind as to ring me if anything comes up?"

"Will do."

**III**

Stresemann's tone of voice showed plainly that he was unimpressed. "You've been careless."

"Easy for you to say…" Stanton muttered. "So what am I going to do?"

"Do? There's nothing to do… ignore it… don't give that person the satisfaction of knowing that they're right. It doesn't look like they want anything from you anyway."

"I can't just do nothing. What if my wife finds out…"

"Well, you should have thought of that before… "

"Is this all you're going to say to me? You of all people." Stanton was showing his exasperation. "I should've known better than to come to you for sympathy."

"This is why I've remained single… saves all the trouble and expense of having to explain myself to anyone."

_Some help you are. To think…_

Stanton's train of thought was rudely cut off by the ringing on Stresemann's phone.

"Franz… it's me… Johnson." said the urgent tone on the other side of the line.

"What's wrong, Johnson?" Stresemann could hear the fear in the man's voice.

"Othello tried to kill me… in fact he probably would have if Swanson hadn't been around."

"Why… what happened…"

"Some bastard told him that I was doing the dirty on him with his wife."

"Were you?"

"No… what do you think I am… stupid? I want to live for a very long time. I only talked to the woman once and that was for one minute."

"Did he say who told him?"

"No… the animal received an anonymous note and came to confirm it in person."

"You said he received an anonymous note, eh?"

"And the idiot believed it."  
"Come to my room… I think we need to talk."

Stresemann hung up and remained silent for some time absorbed in his thoughts.

Wondering what had transpired, Stanton looked at him curiously_. The old man looks worried. That's a change. Must be something important.._ "What is it? What did Johnson have to say?"

"Jankowski was close to killing him."

"Jankowski? Why?"

"Something about his wife…"

"It's always something about his wife." was Stanton's wry comment.

It had been too good to last. That nebulous feeling that something was brewing in the air was turning into something much more palpable.

With everything else he had taken on, Chiaki felt that he had dug himself deeper and deeper into the hole that he was in. The subdued atmosphere that permeated the meetings thus far had merely been the lull before the storm. The vociferous in-fighting he witnessed three years previous had degenerated into a hodge podge of sly accusations ranging from damaging truths, half truths and outright lies in the form of poison pen notes. Some one had been busy… planting seeds of fear, doubt and dissent in their midst. The motive was unclear at this stage. Was it the work of one or many? There were many questions that needed answers. Several members had already been targeted and were demanding, in no uncertain terms, that the committee get to the bottom of this. There was talk of bringing in the local authorities but no one seemed sure if any crime had been committed. Nor did they wish to admit to any. The truth was, secrets abound and everyone was keen to avoid a scandal as much as possible.

An uneasy truce fell over the factions… it was clear that there was a malicious and perhaps malevolent force at work, perhaps seeking to undermine the very foundations of the guild itself. The task fell to Chiaki… who seemed the obvious choice and the only member not only competent enough but trustworthy enough (at least by the competing factions) to undertake the investigation of such a sensitive nature.

Chiaki protested vehemently. "I don't know if I'm the right person to do this. I'm a conductor not a detective."

"Chiaki, everyone trusts you… they are quite certain at least, that you don't have any ulterior motives." Stresemann had said to him. "Think of yourself as a peacemaker… and a confidant to all these men."

"Why can't Weiss do it…"

"Well, not everyone has much confidence in Weiss' ability to… erm… get the job done."

"I'm not that confident that I'm the one to solve this either!"

"Think of how many friends you'll make if you succeed.

"I don't care… I don't have time. We should just bring the police in."

"There's no need for the police… Someone is playing pranks and we just need to find out who and get them… to… er… stop." _Before somebody else really gets hurt._

"Ask someone else…"

"There is no else. No one wants to do it or no one wants them to do it."

A defeated Chiaki muttered feebly. "It's not fair..." _To her… I've already asked so much of her…_

Stresemann shot him a rare sympathetic look. "It never is."

Chiaki returned to his room with a heavy heart… disappointed and furious with himself for giving in. _What am I going to tell her? That I'm putting the interests of the guild ahead of her… that I'm going to miss her recital tonight… and probably the others as well… because some vengeful lunatic is sending anonymous messages to guild members and the dirty work of trying to track him has been left to me._

He slammed his fist on the table with a note of despair. _Damn. What a wonderful way to start our married life…_

A few years earlier he would have had little qualms about any of this and perhaps would have even relished the opportunity to hone his analytical skills or added another line to his curriculum vitae. But he was now a man with different priorities and with the spectre of the Rome incident constantly gnawing at the back of his mind, self-promotion paled into insignificance especially when it meant relegating his new wife to the sidelines. Every minute that he had with her was invariably precious and now it seemed that their meager time together in Vienna would be further disrupted by his work. A job that no one else was suited to do, it seemed. It was nonsensical… a complete farce worthy of Mozart himself. And he, Shinichi Chiaki, happened to be in the middle of it.

He hadn't expected this tug of war so soon… he had anticipated some creative juggling of their respective careers but this current kerfuffle had been beyond the scope of his imagination. Already, he was being sorely tested about where his loyalties lay and in his first test, he would show himself to be the failure of a husband that he was.

"Sen…Hus…Shinichi… you're back!" She stood at the doorway only for a second before skipping jubilantly into his arms. He made no attempt to resist but his body went limp as his arms dangled over her shoulders.

"The Sala Terrena is a wonderful place…" She twittered happily. "I can't wait to play there tonight…" The words died on her lips as soon as she saw the depressed look. "_Anata_… what's the matter? What happened?"

Silence reigned in that room for what felt like hours. Nodame was beginning to feel alarmed._Did something bad happen during the meeting? Is it his mother? The Miyoshi family?_

He did not dare face her. "Something serious has come up… and I can't attend… your recital… I'm… sorry…"

"Oh…" She tried to suppress the disappointment that was rising. "It's just the one right? You can still attend the other two, can't you?" She tried to sound more cheerful.

He gave her no answer which she took to be his answer.

"Oh…" She released herself from his embrace and moved towards the window overlooking the main street. A rush of emotions gripped her. Disappointment, frustration, confusion… each taking their turn to rattle her mind.

_Is this what Milch was talking about? Was he trying to warn me about this?_

_There are things that are going to happen that will test him as a man and he is going to need all your strength and determination to get through this._

"Nodame… I'm sorry… I… You probably hate me. I hate… myself."

A tear rolled down her face. _No… I mustn't let him see me like this. Milch is right, I have to be strong. I have survived worse… and I can survive this._

"No… I don't hate you." She quickly wiped the tear and swallowed her emotions. "I…" Summoning all her inner resources, she changed her tone of voice to something more assertive… more resolute.

"What do you think I am? So weak and pathetic that I would fall apart just because you can't make it to my recital."

Chiaki was flabbergasted. "Huh…" That was definitely not the reaction he was expecting.

She turned to face him squarely. "I'm a professional musician now, Chiaki." She prodded him in the chest. "There will be many occasions in our married life when I'll have to go off on tour without you. If I can't accept this reality now, then I'll should just give up performing altogether."

"Nodame… you don't have to…"

She deliberately ignored his feeble protest. "We both knew that our careers would keep us busy. I knew that when I married you that you would be a busy world famous conductor. Your career is important to you and I know that so you don't have to apologize if your work makes all kinds of demands on you."

"You're not angry with me?"

"Of course I'm angry with you… For thinking so little of me… I'm not some silly lovesick schoolgirl anymore. If you can't accept this, then maybe you should go and find yourself another wife."

Saying that she turned away in a huff and folded her arms determinedly.

For an entire minute, Chiaki stood motionless in shock before recovering from the tirade. He slipped his arms around her from behind and nuzzled up to her. _I don't deserve you._ "I like this wife fine." He said as turned her shoulders around to face him.

He saw the tearstained face she had tried to hide from him but then perceived in her eyes an unwavering gleam. _This is why I'm only half the man I am without you._

Her lips appeared to beckon to him… He didn't need much persuasion. It was an invitation he accepted wholeheartedly and threw himself further into the task of enjoying the pleasures that they offered. While engrossed in the sampling of her lips, nape and shoulders, he was thrown off guard by a shrilly outburst that threatened to shatter his eardrums.

"Mukya!" She pulled away from him, wrinkling her nose in distaste.

"What's wrong?"

"Gabon. Have you started smoking again?" She demanded, repelled by the smell of tobacco that lingered on his clothing.

"There… there was an emergency meeting earlier… it's been a stressful time for everyone. Many of the members were smoking continuously the whole time."

"Take that awful jacket off… and that shirt off. What were these people smoking in there?" She continued sniffing his hair.

"Pipes, cigarettes, cigars… and probably other kinds of illegal things."

"You are not coming an inch closer until you take a shower or something." She insisted, pushing him away towards the bathroom. "Go… now… otherwise you can forget about the Nodame special."

Chiaki sighed helplessly as he peeled the layers of clothing in preparation for his shower, pondering with much regret about the Nodame Special that could have been. _That woman… honestly… she has no problems wallowing in the dreck of a rubbish dump but becomes irritatingly particular because of the smell of tobacco on my clothes?_

* * *

"Any regrets?" 

"You asking me that now after what we just did…"

"You know your mother's going to kill me after this, don't you?"

"Kill us… she's going to kill us…"

"You sound almost happy for her to do so…"

"I am happy but I want to live a long time… have a house somewhere and children."

"Children? Really?"

"Don't you want any?"

"Of course I do… but I thought you wouldn't want any or at least for a while, with your career…"

"My career… I've had it with my career…"

"Rui… what's wrong?"

"I want to give up the piano… after over 16 years on the circuit… I've had enough. I want a normal life with a husband and kids."

"I thought you loved playing the piano."

"I do… but I'm ready for a new challenge."

"Why didn't you tell me all this before? I never thought you wanted this kind of life. Afterall, you kept putting off us getting married the past three years. Was it your mother?"

"No… it wasn't my mother. It was never my mother… I just couldn't make up my mind." She paused momentarily before continuing. "There were things in my past that I didn't want to let go… I kept thinking… hoping… but anyway, it doesn't matter now. I was a fool."

"Are you fool now? To have married me in such a hasty manner?"

She shook her head slowly and nestled closer to her new husband. "I was a fool to have hesitated as long as I did."

* * *

"I should get ready for the recital." Megumi Noda seemed unnecessarily eager, at least to her husband to leave his side.

"Don't be in such a hurry…" Her husband was in an amorous mood and was reluctant to relinquish his hold on her. "You don't have to go anywhere for at least half an hour." He said languidly.

"But…"

"But what…"

A knock on the door provided her with a way out.

"Are we expecting anyone?"

"Yes…" She jumped out of the bed and hastily slipped on a bathrobe.

"Who?" He glared at her furiously. "Why didn't you tell me someone was coming?"

"Why… we are on our honeymoon… Why are you embarrassed for people to think that we're doing the man and woman music thing?"

Chiaki slapped himself on the forehead in despair. "I have married a _hentai_ and an exhibitionist."

"Relax, husband… it's just room service…"

The husband did relax… slightly… "You could've at least given me some warning."

"Well, I did kind of… forget… Too much passion addles the brain."

"That brain was already problematic before…" He grumbled before throwing off his covers and covering himself discreetly with a towel, sneaking off to the bathroom.

The wife skipped gaily to the door and opened it for the extremely patient service attendant waiting with his trolley.

"You ordered room service, Mrs Chiaki?"

_Mrs Chiaki… That is the second time today… I could really get used to it._

"Ahhhh… that smells wonderful…" Nodame lifted one of the lids off the serving trays drank in the aroma.

"Would you like me to set the table for you?"

"You'll do that?"

"If you want me to…"

"Absolutely… please do."

Nodame watched fascinated as the attendant moved about the table expertly, with the adroitness of a ballerina gliding around the table. In no time at all, everything was perfectly laid out for two.

"Will this be all?"

"Yes… thank you…"

"A pleasure, Mrs Chiaki." The room service attendant efficiently took himself out of the intimate setting that he had briefly trespassed into.

Having missed the action, the husband completely dressed, walked in and cast a critical eye over the spread.

"Why did you order so much food?" He rolled his eyes in exasperation.

"Because I cannot perform on an empty stomach."

"Are you going to be able to fit into your dress after this?"

"Oh yes… no problems… I had mum make a few adjustments before the wedding."

"It sounds like you're expecting to put on weight."

"I'm not taking any chances. My zipper got stuck again at the Tilburn… and I spent the whole time worrying about the dress… which is probably why I lost. Tonight Nodame makes history looking elegant."

"You're wearing that black number?" Chiaki observed, looking at the black dress hanging by the bed.

"Huh… don't you like it…"

Chiaki put on his most neutral face. "I don't _not_ like it but I thought you were wearing that turquoise dress that you bought at Rome."

"Well… you didn't seem to like it much that time…"

"I didn't say that…" He quickly averted his eyes.

"Yes you did… you said it was 'nice'. People use the word 'nice' when they have nothing nice to say about something."

"That's absurd. I liked the dress. You looked really nice in it…"

"There you see… it's that word again… you don't even sound convincing." His wife pounced on him, mistaking his awkwardness for disinterest.

"I loved it… alright… Happy?" He reached for her hand and took it. In a more gentle tone of voice, he spoke into her eyes. "That night… you looked ravishing in it and took my breath away. It took everything I had not to…"

"_Anata_…" She reached for his face and caressed his cheek.

They both said nothing… there was nothing to say. Their lips met and moved in other ways that rendered the need for words unnecessary.

* * *

**Author's Comments:**

_Our household has been plagued by illness all of last week and I'm only just coming out of a crazy week of bugs (viruses). I apologize for taking so long but I think some things are worth taking time over._

_My thanks to the following reviewers **Ebony10**, **kana-chan**, **silverquill** and **kandida**. I'm always very interested in what it is that readers like/don't like about a particular chapter._


	5. Chapter 4

**Chapter 4**

_Softly, in the dusk, a woman is singing to me;  
Taking me back down the vista of years, till I see  
A child sitting under the piano, in the boom of the tingling strings  
And pressing the small, poised feet of a mother who smiles as she sings._

_In spite of myself, the insidious mastery of song  
Betrays me back, till the heart of me weeps to belong  
To the old Sunday evenings at home, with winter outside  
And hymns in the cosy parlour, the tinkling piano our guide._

_So now it is vain for the singer to burst into clamour  
With the great black piano appassionato. The glamour  
Of childish days is upon me, my manhood is cast  
Down in the flood of remembrance, I weep like a child for the past._

_("Piano", D.H. Lawrence)_

**I**

Despite his best efforts to remain detached and objective, Chiaki Masayuki found himself deeply moved by the rich impassioned playing of pieces only too familiar to himself. He had allowed himself to be persuaded to witness this breathtaking display of technical _tour de force_ and emotional transparency initially by a growing curiosity. Sophie seldom raved about anything or anyone but she had evidently been taken with this Megumi Noda. Now that he had seen first hand what he had only heard, there was no doubt in his mind that there was something exceptional about Megumi Noda and the way she cajoled and caressed the instrument that she evidently worshipped… Not unlike two lovers intimately in tune with one another's rhythms… finding much pleasure in familiar movements and gestures.

She threw herself into every piece with the exuberance of a child at play and yet demonstrating an underlying maturity shaped by her own experiences of life. The soothing timbre of the music called out to him… reaching into places that he thought had long left him. Memories… of happier days… memories he had wanted so desperately to cast off in the past, now flooded his soul, cocooning him in a strange frisson of warmth.

Sophie fixed her gaze at the man she had agreed to marry. She held back a gasp as she saw the glimmer in his eyes and the taciturn tears rolling down his cheeks, in awe of the prowess of the young pianist who was able to move apparently impossible emotional mountains. _Masa… what is she making you see?_

It was a side of him she had rarely seen. Her fiancé was not a man given to emotional displays and yet here he was, moved to tears by an instrument that he himself was a master of. It was not in her nature to pry but seeing him so utterly vulnerable made her all the more inquisitive about the things in his life that were closed to her.

He seldom talked about his emotional life and less still about the family that he had abandoned all those years ago. Were they tears of something lost? Hidden? Or… regrets? She did not know… and a wave of sadness overwhelmed her at the thought of what she did not know. The past he was all too ready to forget. The marriage that failed. The son that he did not talk about. All the memories that were inaccessible to her struck a pang or two of concern. Sophie was not a novice in the game of love neither was she prone to sentimentality. With a string of breakups and near engagements behind her, she had no schoolgirl's dreamy disposition. Nor was she in search of perfection and Chiaki Masayuki was hardly that. But what she sensed was that he was a man of hidden fires… she knew that if she was patient enough and chipped away long enough at those walls he had built around himself, she might actually get close enough to see flame… if she somehow managed not to get burnt in the process. The son would be the key, she surmised, but it would be a mammoth task to bring both men to the table. _Masa… why won't you set things right?_

The enthusiastic burst of applause in the background reminded Sophie that she was in audience at a recital. _I was a million miles away._ She then recalled that she had heard Megumi Noda play at a minor piano competition in Paris two years earlier. _She was good even then._ But tonight, her playing was coloured by something else… an inner untouchable joy overflowing with… love.

* * *

James Beresford was strangely disturbed. He had heard that she was good but no one had told him how good. That it should trouble him so, however, was the greater mystery. 

_So she can play… that should be no great surprise… The Tilburn is no walk in the park._

_She carries on playfully like a child in a sandpit and moves around the keyboard like a demon. No pretence… no holds barred. How refreshing… and how very rare…_

Beresford sat rooted to his seat, absorbed in his ruminations as the other guests were leaving theirs and making their way down the aisles. The performance had been mind blowing, to say the least. To think that the uncouth creature he saw gorging herself that same morning was the same creature that spun music which would even make the angels weep. Amazingly, the pig in doll's disguise was an enchantress underneath all her unexpected layers. Undoubtedly, Megumi Noda Chiaki was a force of nature… capable of weaving magic that would melt the iciest hearts and make grown men cry.

Beresford was irritated… that this unexpected package should be in the possession of someone like Chiaki… a mere boy… in the matters of the heart.

_I doubt very much that he knows her worth and even if he did, I don't think that he is capable of fine tuning such a rare instrument._

As much as he hated to admit it, Beresford couldn't help but feel a slight twinge of envy. It didn't take long for him to realize that he was in danger of becoming far too fascinated with the said, Megumi Noda.

* * *

She called him "Milch" from the early days… a nickname which he gave himself when he first met her as a student. Milch… or Stresemann felt a rare tug on his heartstrings as he saw how far she had come. The recital was the first time in a long time, he'd heard her play. His nickname had stuck… and so had his advice for her to face the music. Even so, she had surpassed all his expectations… the awkward duckling had turned into an exquisite swan, weaving all kinds of magic with her instrument. She showed courage, pressed on and had been unwavering on her road to success. 

In short, he was proud of her and of what she was becoming.

* * *

Sebastiano Vieira was openly impressed. Shinichi had chosen well… far better than he himself probably realized. But it wasn't just the skill or the talent that he approved of but the genuine modesty… the desire to please and bring joy to others. 

"My dear Nodame… that was absolutely amazing. Shinichi would be so proud if he were here. Well, I'm sure he is anyway…"

"You think so… I'm so glad… To tell you the truth, I was somewhat nervous."

"I didn't notice… you looked as if you were in complete control the entire time."

"It was Mozart. He helped me."

"Mozart?" Vieira shot her a quizzical look and glanced around briefly.

She continued as if she did not hear the question or see the bemused look in Vieira _sensei_'s eyes. "I could hear him telling me that I was a part of music history… that he was pleased that I was here to make music but more importantly that I could make people happy with my music. That is the most important thing, isn't it, Vieira _sensei,_ to play from the heart so as to touch the hearts of others."

"Yes, my dear… it is…" The emotion thickened noticeably in his voice. "And you definitely did that tonight."

"Oh good…" She answered simply, oblivious to the large crowd that was gradually gathering around her. Relieved that it was all over, her only thought was the husband that she left behind. _I hope he doesn't overdo it. He seemed so troubled and stressed.  
_

"Nodame… it's time to meet your fans…" Sebastiano Vieira broke into her woolgathering.

"Huh? My fans?"

"They are waiting to talk to you." Vieira reminded the absent-minded pianist as a group of music lovers made their way toward them.

"I… have fans… ?"

"It certainly looks like it from where I'm standing. At least I don't think they're here to see me." He chuckled.

"They want to talk to me? What am I going to say?"

"Just thank them for coming… answer their questions… Be yourself. That's always the best thing."

Nodame took a big gulp of water from the bottle she had been holding. "Is it? Gyabo. This is even more nerve wrecking than meeting all those diplomat in that embassy reception in Rome."

"Your job should be made easier by the fact that they love you already…"

"I don't want to disappoint them…"

"You won't…"

"Nodame the pianist and Nodame the person might be two different people."

"No… she's not… and she's the most honest person I know."

* * *

Looking past the sea of faces, Nodame observed with her scrounged up face, a tall, dark-haired, male figure, a short distance away quietly engaged in conversation with a couple of women. There was something about him that was vaguely familiar. _Is he Japanese, I wonder? Do I know him from Japan? Okawa? Momogaoka Academy?_

After some moments racking her brains and deliberating, Nodame gave up trying to remember and shook hands with the man in front of her. _I must be mad, trying to hold a conversation and work out who that is all at the same time._ _I'll find out soon enough anyway if I've been previously acquainted with this man. Muki… why does he look so familiar? _

As the queue shortened, Nodame's curiosity heightened as that same man and his female companion joined the end of it. He proceeded to take off his glasses and polish it with his handkerchief. It was at that moment that the penny dropped. There was something of the son in the father… that same impenetrable stoicism.

_Mukya… it's Chiaki Masayuki… what is he doing here? Does he know who I am?_

As Nodame studied his face distractedly, it didn't seem on the surface that he especially recognized her beyond what occurred during the recital. She couldn't decide then if that was a good or bad thing…

_He came to my recital… Why? To check me out? To find out what kind of person his son has married?. Maybe he hated it and has remained behind to give me a tongue lashing._

"Ms Noda… I've been looking forward to this. I saw you perform in Paris years ago…" A clear female voice interrupted her internal ramblings.

"Sorry… what was that? I'm a little tired. It's been a long day." Nodame apologized profusely.

"It's perfectly alright Ms Noda, I understand. I've just returned from an overseas tour myself… I'm Sophie and this is my fiancé, Masayuki…"

"Chiaki…" Nodame cut in like a well-timed answering machine. "It's an honour and a pleasure, sir." By that time, she had recovered her wits and was ready to be the charming celebrity.

Masayuki Chiaki spoke in a deep sonorous tone. "It was a fine performance… Ms Noda. _Omedetou gozaimasu!_"

"_Arigatou gozaimasu_… Chiaki_ sensei_… You are too kind." Both lapsed momentarily into their native tongue.

"Hey… don't go Japanese on me… the two of you." Sophie interjected with mock indignance.

The elder Chiaki broke into a rare smile. "Sorry, dear… I don't often get to use the language camping out here in Europe. Have you just come from Japan, Ms Noda?"

"Yes… in fact… the wedding was in Japan." Nodame wondered how much she should say. "I just got married." _To your son._

"Really… well, congratulations again."

"Yes, thank you. We're spending our honeymoon here in Vienna." _Your son and I._

"On your honeymoon? You're working on your honeymoon?…" Sophie's jaw dropped.

"Yeah… my… er… husband is attending a… con… conference so I'm doing what I can to keep myself busy." _Evidently he doesn't know._ _Gabon. His own son and he doesn't know?_

"Don't you Japanese ever take holidays?" Sophie was flabbergasted.

Nodame could only grin. "Sometimes…"

"This fiancé of mine is just as bad. The last time I accompanied him on a performance tour, I became a piano widow. I think he saw more of the inside of the practice studio than me." Sophie elbowed the bespectacled pianist who responded with an indulgent smile.

_Like father, like son._ Nodame giggled. "Sounds familiar."

"Just don't let that husband of yours take advantage of your good nature and make it a habit."

"I won't." _He owes me… big time…_

"We should go and let Ms Noda have her rest."

"I don't mind."

"I'm still tired… suffering from jetlag." Sophie remarked. "But it was great meeting you Ms Noda. As Masa said, it was a wonderful performance and we hope to see you in Vienna again one day."

"I'm sure you will… we intend to live in Europe for a while."

"Excellent." Chiaki senior bowed instead of offering his hand. "It was a pleasure talking to you, Ms Noda.

Nodame once again fell into speaking her mother tongue. "Likewise, _gifu_." _He's changed… quite different to what he was five years ago. I wonder what happened._ "Perhaps one day I will have the honour of_sitting_ in the audience at one of your performances."

"The honour is mine… Noda Megumi." With that, he bowed solemnly. Taking the arm of the woman who was with him, he strolled to the nearest exit.

_Gyabo… So that is the man whose son I married. Not as terrifying as I expected. That same sadness lingering in his eyes. I wonder if I should have said something._

Turning it over her mind for some minutes, she shook her head. _Probably just as well I didn't. I don't think he would have cared much and I don't think Shinichi would have wanted me to either._

* * *

"A penny for your thoughts, Masa…" 

"I tuned out again… didn't I?"

"Yes, you did."

"I'm sorry… I was just thinking about Megumi Noda…"

"Fascinating creature. What about her?"

"Perhaps it's just my mind working overtime. It was something she said… I don't even know if she realized it herself."

"What did she say?"

"She called me 'gifu'."

"And that means…?"

"Father-in-law…"

"It's probably just a mistake. She probably meant to say something else."

"It's a very strange mistake for someone who was born and bred in Japan to make. And especially after she called me Chiaki _sensei_ the first time."

"So what are you trying to say?"

"I don't know… I don't know…"

**II**

Chiaki made it plainly obvious that he did not want to be there. He couldn't care less what these people got up to in their private lives. It had nothing to do with him and he wanted nothing to do with all the secrets he was now privy to. Yet again he had been maneuvered into an abhorrent position of having to clean up after others.

"So you're saying that you received the note the night you arrived?" _I wonder how she's doing._

"Yes… someone slipped it under my door while I was having a few drinks at the hotel bar."

"And you're sure that no one knew about your relationship with this woman prior to you getting this note?" _I hope she didn't overdo the make up._

"Yes, yes… how many do I have to tell you that?" Stanton insisted impatiently.

"Well, somebody must've found out… unless you think it's Miss Smith whose trying to blackmail you." _I hope she doesn't have trouble with the dress._

"It's possible but I'm not the only one who received one of these." Stanton looked at the note with undisguised distaste.

"Evidently you weren't as careful as you thought you were." _She seemed a little nervous tonight._

"The only way in which anyone could have found out about Joy is if she talked."

"But they would have to know about her first, wouldn't they?"

"It depends on who she talked to…"

Chiaki was visibly frustrated. He was going no where with his inquiry. "Look, Stanton… what do you want from me? Your big secret is not going to be a secret for much longer. If you're expecting me to…"

"I just want to know who it is and put a stop to it. I can't have my wife find out about Joy."

"I'm not a miracle worker, Stanton… and I have a wife too. She's being neglected because people like you want the convenience of your secrets but can't bear the responsibility of your own actions."

"Chiaki, it's not like that…"

"I'm the one holding the bag, aren't I? Unlike you, I care about how my wife feels when I'm off doing something else when my place is with her."

Chiaki was exhausted and frankly, fed up. These petty scandals and rivalries were beneath him and yet… he knew that these situations, gone unchecked could escalate and take on a life of their own. Still his mind couldn't help wandering during the conversations. _I wonder how the recital is going. Her first one since the Tilburn… Damn, I should be there. Not here, playing detective.  
_

"How's your eye?" Chiaki examined Johnson's deformed and swelling eye.

"Could be better… but then it could be worse… Othello packs a mean punch."

"Look, you can tell me the truth and it stays between us. Did you or did you not have an affair with Jankowski's wife?"

"I swear to you… I have not even laid a hand on that woman. Everyone knows how Othello is about his wife… only someone with a death wish would even consider something as harebrained as that."

"Why would someone wish to implicate you in something like this? Do you have enemies in the guild?"

"Who doesn't? It's hard not to rub someone the wrong way in this place."

"Have you rubbed someone the wrong way?"

Johnson shrugged his shoulders. "I've had a few run-ins with some of the newer members but nothing serious. For all their talk, I don't think they're the type that hold grudges."

"So you think it's someone with a grudge?"

"Has to be… to want me dead."

Johnson's comments hit home. The perpetrator or perpetrators were no mere mischief makers… they were after blood… to some degree. But one thing puzzled Chiaki… a question he kept coming back to… what did these attacks have in common? Or were the targets randomly picked as an overall grievance against the entire guild? Clearly there was someone in the guild with serious anger issues and had a dire need to lash out.

"Show me the note, Jankowski."

The heavyset, Polish conductor eyed Chiaki for a moment before flinging the anonymous verse into his lap.

_Othello had a pretty wife_

_Whose fleece was white as snow_

_And everywhere that Othello went_

_The wife was sure to go._

_Johnson followed her to school one day_

_Even though it was against the rules_

_Together still they laughed and played_

_And frolicked in her bed._

"It's anonymous too… just like the one Stanton received."

"I was furious when I read it."

"I'm sure you were… but you would have been better off verifying these charges first."

"I don't know what I was thinking."

_You probably weren't._ "Did you have any reason before this incident to think that Johnson was culpable in some way?"

"No… not really… I didn't know him that well. He seemed friendly enough."

"Yet you were quick to believe the contents of this note."

Jankowski buried his face in his hands and sobbed piteously into it. "I… I'm… losing her…" There was an echo of despair in his voice.

"Losing her?"

"She's become very distant lately… I wanted her to come with me but she refused. I thought it was another man but she denied. She said she wanted some space… she was feeling stifled and she was sick of being treated like a pet."

_I don't blame her._ "May be you should consider her words carefully. Perhaps it is something that you both need to sort out between yourselves. There might not be a third party involved."

"I love her… "

"I'm sure you do…" Chiaki gingerly attempted to pat the man on the back and then quickly pulled back lest the gesture be misunderstood. "But from what little experience I have, it seems to me that women require a little breathing space now and again."

"Really?"

"Yes… really."

_Good lord… I'm turning into a marriage counselor. Married for three days… and I'm giving advice? This is not what I signed up for when I joined the guild._

Chiaki heaved a long sigh as he walked out of Jankowski's room. His investigations were not entirely fruitless and he did establish that these notes were deliberately targeted at specific individuals for a specific purpose. As yet he was unable to see the big picture. He feared that to get to the bottom of this matter, he would have to wait for the shadowy hand to act before some kind of distinct pattern could be established.

**III**

Justin Lee never felt more content… more at peace with the world. He gazed affectionately at his bride of six hours and thought himself the luckiest man alive. He chided himself for doubting her and slipped his arms around her, full of hope for the future.

She too was the picture of contentment… but of a different kind and rubbed her satiated belly. "I'm completely stuffed. That was a feast fit for a king."

"How about a queen?"

"Justin…" She said quietly. "You are too good to me."

"Nothing is too good for the woman I love."

"I was a fool… an utter fool."

"Sssh… no more of that now. No one's allowed to badmouth my wife. Not even you."

Leaning over, he brushed over her lips lightly and then deepened it. He was desperate for her to know just how deep his feelings ran and almost lost control. But he remembered in time that they were standing on the corridor, outside his… no, _their_ room.

"I think perhaps we should continue this inside." He whispered breathlessly.

She smiled at him serenely, never taking her eyes off him. "Yes, I think we should."

He needed no other encouragement. He would show her in no uncertain terms how much she meant to him and how much he desired her. Tonight was theirs... and there was no mother in the background to spoil burst their bubble.

It was the culmination of three years of waiting and longing. It had been worth the wait. He caressed her silky, black locks and watched her drift off into blissful slumber. He was a happy man… for at long last the woman of his dreams was his. Justin recalled their first meeting… the shyness that exuded from her… the tyrannical mother that hovered over her like a bad smell. For all her confident musicianship, Rui had a vulnerability about her and it was this vulnerability that he was drawn to. It had aroused his protective instincts immediately and from then on, he did not once look back.

Justin got up to pour himself a drink and noticed a piece of folded paper on the floor. _Do hotels still send patrons messages this way? _He thought to himself incredulously

The note was addressed in a bold, calligraphic font to him and to her. _Who knows that she's here? _

Curiously, he opened the note and what he read troubled him greatly… So much so that he had trouble sleeping that night.

_Oh Chiaki, Chiaki, will you marry me,_

_With your baton, score and hum_

_Oh pretty maid, I cannot marry you,_

_For I have no tuxedo to put on_

_Then away she went_

_To her hope chest_

_And brought him one of the very very best,_

_And the conductor put it on_

_Oh Chiaki, Chiaki, will you marry me,_

_With your baton, score and hum?_

_Oh no, pretty maid, I cannot marry you_

_I have no tie to put on._

_Then away she went_

_To her hope chest_

_And brought him one of the very very best,_

_And the conductor put it on_

_Oh Chiaki, Chiaki will you marry me_

_With your baton, score and hum_

_Oh pretty maid I cannot marry you_

_For I have a wife at home_

* * *

**Author's Comments:**

_Thus far I have refrained from making too many comments lest it takes away from your enjoyment of the story. There's nothing worse than being spoiled when one is reading a piece of crime fiction. However, a couple of points have been raised which I feel I should address._

_Firstly, I apologize for the confusion I must be causing by introducing a myriad of OC in this story. It is however, necessary and even obligatory to have them if I'm to successfully complete my homage to the classic British mystery tale. (Too much Agatha Christie in my younger days unfortunately) I beg with you to persevere as these characters will become more a part of the landscape as the story progresses._

_Secondly, I'm particularly gratified by the complimentary comments I received regarding those rather intimate moments between Chiaki and Nodame. They were hard to write but I felt them necessary in the context of what's going on in the story._

_**kana-chan:**__ Thank you for faithfully following the story and your insightful comments. I'm trying very hard not to kill anyone in this story although my original idea was to have these conductors murdered by a psycho serial killer. But the thought of having to wade through pathology related gobbledegook did not appeal to me._

_I don't think it is my job as a writer to create sympathetic characters per se but to make the characters as multidimensional as possible. I prefer to "push" a character as far as I can go and let them speak for him/herself. As I get older, I tend to move away from caricatures and become more engaged in a character's psyche and look at what makes them tick._

_I maintain also that every individual is his or her own worst enemy, despite all external influences._

_**Hermonie:**__ You are making me blush… thank you for your kind words but I know that there are heaps of very good Nodame/Chiaki fics all around the net. In fact, I don't think I've read a single bad one, aside from the usual grammatical and lexical issues._

_**lunaticrose:**__ I don't do smut that well… Humour is merely my fallback plan. ;) But it's Nodame… one would expect something out of the ordinary._

_**Ebony:**__ "Toy boy" is probably more a Down Under expression. But according to Wikipedia both are common parlance._

_**Mmestrange:**__ Thank you for taking time out of your busy schedule to put in those reviews. It's amazing what a nice review does for me… my family's happy too. Thanks for also getting in touch with me. I didn't realize that you had an account._

_**Kandida:**__ It's always terrific to see your comments although I don't make reference to them directly to maintain some degree of suspense. But no, Nodame's not pregnant. ;) I don't think I will be visiting that subject matter for a while. I may, however, if the mood is right, update The Labours of S.C. some time down the track._

_**Star Garden:**__ I appreciate your comments for this fic and for Cat's in the Cradle. It's always good to know that people are still reading my very first Nodame fic after all this time._


	6. Chapter 5

**Chapter 5**

_We are the hollow men  
We are the stuffed men  
Leaning together  
Headpiece filled with straw. Alas!  
Our dried voices, when  
We whisper together  
Are quiet and meaningless  
As wind in dry grass  
Or rats' feet over broken glass  
In our dry cellar_

_Shape without form, shade without colour,  
Paralysed force, gesture without motion;_

_("The Hollow Men", T.S. Eliot)_

**I**

Having long given up her rug bundle but not her habit of throwing items together helter skelter, Nodame was anxious to make her getaway. Unfortunately for the flagging pianist who was eager to return to her beleaguered husband, a certain conniving British conductor was too quick for her and stopped her in her tracks, while attempting to sneak out of a side exit. Evidently he had been following her movements with a keen eye.

"Nodame…" Beresford gushed ardently. "I can't let you leave before telling you how much that performance moved me." He added with practiced earnestness. It wasn't entirely an act, however, he had been deeply affected, as much as a man of his character could be.

Nodame was caught unawares and murmured a few choice phrases under her breath before exclaiming with feigned surprise, "James… you came? How nice…"_Why is he holding on to my arm?_

"Of course, I came. I wouldn't have missed it in all the world." Beresford seemed determined to maintain his hold on her despite her feeble attempt to wriggle free.

She slipped into her affable public persona reluctantly. "I'm flattered that you liked it, James and I thank you for coming… but it is getting late and I need to return to the hotel."

"Why don't we return together?" Despite his amicable demeanour, there was something about the way he made that statement which suggested a certain insistence… that he would not take 'no' for an answer.

"Er… well… I…"

"It's not safe for a lovely young lady like yourself to be on your own." He persisted. "Allow me to be your escort for the evening in place of your husband… who seems to be…" He pretended to look around before saying. "_Absent_." with a little too much relish.

"I'm fine… I can take care of myself…" Nodame racked her brains wondering how she could be rid of this man without resorting to violence.

"I have no doubt." He was quick to reassure her. "However, it would ease my mind considerably to know that you were well taken care of. I am sure your husband would want the same."

"You're very kind, James… but really…"

"It's no trouble at all my dear… it would be my pleasure." Despite being weighed down by the day's events, Beresford was pulling all the stops. _A very great pleasure…_

Whatever Beresford had in mind at the moment, would remain his own private yearning. An interloper who had been watching with more than a little interest decided to make his presence felt.

"What are you up to, Beresford?"

_Stresemann… is he still here? Blast…_ "This is getting tiresome, Stresemann. Is it really necessary for you to hover around like a watch dog. The lady and I were having a pleasant, _private_ conversation until you decided to stick your nose into our little _tête à tête_."

Nodame, on the other hand, was inwardly relieved. She could feel the tension in her right hand draining away. Her right hand had been gradually clenching into a fist and she was prepared to used it on the off chance that the pertinacious Englishman refused to let go.

Stresemann deliberately chose to ignore the outburst from his British counterpart. "I've got better things to do than waste my time with you, Beresford. Nodame… I've got a car waiting. Let's go."

"Thanks Milch…" She shot him a grateful look and took a few steps forward before turning to bid Beresford farewell. "Goodbye James, thank you for coming."

The British conductor was left on his own to look on, seething over the one that got away… a second time.

* * *

"What did he want from you?" _How the devil did he get his hands on a ticket at the eleventh hour?_

"Nothing much… Told me how much he enjoyed the performance and then offered to take me back to the hotel."

"Did he now?" The German conductor mused. "And what did you say?"

"That I was fine and I could take care of myself. But it didn't seem he was ready to take 'no' for an answer."

"I told you to be careful…"

"I was… don't worry about me, Milch, if you hadn't come along when you did, James Beresford would have been on the floor, facedown or flat on his back."

Stresemann rewarded her with a smirk. "Really…" _Damn… Maybe I should have hung back for a few minutes longer. That would have been a great story to tell the others at the triennial ball, complete with pictures._

* * *

Chiaki collapsed onto the bed, completely bone-weary. It had been a long day… rather more eventful than he had been prepared for. The worst part of the entire ordeal was not the interviews or the meetings but being alone… without her. To return to an empty room… with an empty bed was not his idea of an ideal honeymoon. But then there was nothing ideal about this entire arrangement in the first place. _I was an idiot to think that we could do this… a complete ass to think that everything would go as planned. _

Chiaki berated himself soundly for his own naiveté. Nothing in his life had ever gone according to plan. Why he believed that their honeymoon would be any different was a thought akin to the belief that pigs might someday sprout wings and take to the air. Perhaps he had hoped… against hope that an exception might overtake the rule.

Still, Chiaki smiled to himself, if matters had gone to plan… he might never have met her and come to partake of the mad, mad world in which she inhabited. The_hentai_ forest, for one, was littered with mantraps which subjected the unsuspecting traveller to beguiling surprises, befitting their sovereign. He had been one of those and several years on, he had no desire to leave.

He was missing her… much… Although their life together began years earlier, it was only in these past months that he had begun to understand the ramifications of a life without her. A recent near-death experience had been a sobering reminder to him that he could no sooner cast her aside than sever his own leg or arm without causing himself excruciating pain. No doubt, Megumi Noda was a permanent fixture in his life and no one felt more blessed than Chiaki that that was the case.

The bed seemed unnecessary large and felt bitingly cold without her. Shinichi rolled over onto his side and pulled the covers over him, wondering for the hundredth time that evening how the recital had gone. He allowed the questions to churn through his mind over and over again. It was his way of holding on to her in absentia. Nevertheless, the tiredness soon over took him and he would succumb to the comforts of his peaceful surroundings.

* * *

"Husband…" A whisper in the dark coursed through the stillness of the night. "Are you here?" 

The speaker received no answer. Instead, she saw on the bed, a familiar figure stirring momentarily.

"Are you awake…" She ventured to ask. Yet again, the sleeping figure offered no reply.

The husband, it seemed, was dead to the cares of the world. As she approached his side, she could see that he was still fully dressed. _He must have been completely worn out. _On making that observation, she took great care not to rouse him in anyway. She tiptoed into the bathroom and dressed for bed

Nodame felt a combination of disappointment and relief. Disappointed, because she would not be able to share what little was left of the evening with him. Relief, because he was finally getting some much needed rest. He had seemed noticeably bogged down by guild business but had been tightlipped about the nature of the issues involved. Clearly it was urgent… urgent enough for him to miss her recital. Despite all appearances to the contrary, she was no fool. She understood even better than what he did, what she had married into. Nine years of being on the sidelines had taught her that much and she took it in her stride with quiet acceptance. Even in all her glorious simplicity, Nodame understood instinctively that there were some things that even marriage did not entitle her to. Things that were out of her sphere mattered little to her. What mattered most was that he had finally taken the plunge and given himself over to her completely. Both his heart and his mind, without reservations. Now that they were married… he had sealed his commitment to her which is what she always wanted from him to be begin with. It was a thought that sustained and gave her much comfort in these lean times.

She slipped under the covers and nestled up to the man that was the length and breadth of her existence. She would wait for him for as long as she needed to. In the mean time, music would be her food… the height to the length and the breadth. Fortunately for her there was still an abundance of music to be made.

**II**

Masayuki Chiaki was wide awake at midnight. His mind was relentless in its assault, as a myriad of questions about the past and the present pressed against him from all sides. Rather unexpectedly his brief encounter with the young pianist had left him wondering about and hankering for things that he had long given up.

Who was she really? Was she who she said she was or was it a mere slip of the tongue?

Masayuki gave in to his burning curiosity and turned his computer back on. Searching through the Classical Life website, it took no time at all before he found what he was looking for.

He leaned against the backrest of his chair and gasped. _So it's true… then… she is really married to him?_

* * *

"Seiko _sama_… a telephone call for you from Vienna. It's Chiaki _san_." 

Seiko Miyoshi… once Seiko Chiaki was having a leisurely breakfast in Tokyo. She looked up from the magazine she was browsing, surprised that her son would bother to contact her on his honeymoon. _He hasn't run out of money, has he? _

Remembering, however, that her son had more or less been independent the last several years caused her mind to dwell on more alarming scenarios. _I hope no mishap has befallen either of them._

"Hello, Shinichi? Is everything alright?"

"Seiko… it's me…"

"Masayuki _san_…" In spite of the passage of time, she had little difficulty placing the voice. Seiko Miyoshi was blown away to say the least and almost fell out of her chair in shock. Her former husband was the last person on earth she was expecting to be on the other side of the line.

An awkward silence fell over them before he ventured to break the ice.

"It's been a long time…"

"Yes, it has." She was gradually recovering her wits. "Are you well?"

"As well as can be. How about you?"

"I am, thank you."_Why has he called after almost 18 years?_ _What does he want?_"I heard you got engaged last year. Congratulations." She added as a way to make conversation.

"Er… thank you."

Both were rather astonished at the mutual display of civility despite their tumultuous history.

"Masayuki _san_, to what do I owe this _unexpected _pleasure?"

"Our… son…" He hesitated momentarily before coming to the subject that was foremost in his mind. "I understand that he is now married."

"Yes… he is…"

"A few hours ago, I was in audience at a recital given by a Ms Noda Megumi…"

Now aware of where this conversation was headed, she knew where she stood. "Yes, … they were married three days ago."

"Oh…" He cast about to find the words. "She's an amazing talent. I can see why he…"

"She's been good for him. He was a blithering mess nine years ago when they first met. She got him back on a plane and back to Europe." _You should've been there for him. He could've done with your support. But you were no where to be seen._

"I see…"

There was much that Seiko Miyoshi had wanted to say to her ex-husband… recriminations as long as her arm. But now that the opportunity was there for the taking, she did not feel inclined to do so. The man she had married over thirty years earlier felt like a different man. She could sense a quiet sorrow and an unexpected humility that he had gained somewhere along the road without the family that he had cast aside all those years before. Against all her natural instincts, she felt enormous pity for the man she once adored.

"We should have informed you of the wedding but…" She tried to think of suitable excuses but knew that none of them would be truthful.

"It's alright, Seiko… I understand. I blame no one for how things are between our son and I."

The brokenness in his voice stunned her. "You've changed…"

"Have I?" He allowed himself a smile… a smile that she would never see. "Age must be catching up with me."

Seiko wasn't convinced. "Is it just that?"

"Perhaps not…" He offered no other explanation instead changed the subject. "Megumi_chan_… she made me feel something tonight… she helped me remember…"

"She does that… She has that effect on people."

"Do you remember when Shinichi was about seven and we were on the coast of Marseilles? One of our rare family outings."

"Yes… I remember very well."

"Shinichi fell and hurt himself on the rocks. But he tried hard not to cry even though he wanted to. He looked at me and said, 'Dad, when I look at you, I want to be brave.' It was one of the few times I felt both proud and ashamed as a father. I wanted to hug him but I couldn't. I thought he would think me weak."

"Masa… he never told me…"

"I wasn't the father he needed… I thought it would be easier if I let you both go. I could pretend that I was better off without you… that you both would be better off…"

"He really needed his father."

"Did he? He managed to find success without his father."

"After all this time, do you still really believe that a successful career is all that matters to him?"

"No, I don't. But I can't help feeling it's too late."

"Too late for whom?"

"For me… for us…"

"For you and me perhaps… but for father and son, while there's life, there's hope."

"Ever the optimist, aren't you, Seiko?"

"I try…" She gave a smile which he felt rather than saw. "So what are you going to do?"

"I don't know. To be frank, I am afraid. I feel I've been offered a second chance and yet, the fear of being rejected is quite overwhelming."

"You know, Masa… that is the most honest thing I've ever heard you say." _Really…_ She paused before adding thoughtfully, "Why has it taken us almost thirty years to have this conversation?"

"I don't know Seiko… I had it too easy when we were together but the last few years have forced me to rethink many things."

_So the rumours were true._ "Whatever you decide to do, Masa… I want you to know that I'm glad that we had this conversation."

"As am I…"

* * *

After hanging up, the world famous pianist lingered a while in his study, trying to make sense of the quandary that was he was in. Masayuki Chiaki was, as he told his former wife, was alternating between feelings of nervousness and longing. He had almost convinced himself that he was reaping what he had sown with regards to the way things were between Shinichi and him. That the snub from his son was only what he deserved. He had been the architect of their estrangement years before and now he was paying the price. The walls between had appeared insurmountable, both father and son hiding underneath the façade that they could deny one another's existence. Still, there was something about Shinichi's new wife… meeting her under such remarkable circumstances… had planted a seed of hope. Hope that he dared not hold on to previously. 

Clearly she knew who he was. Yet her affability had given him an opening that he never had before. A rare opportunity to redress past wrongs. A glimmer of light seeping through the cracks.

Unknown to him, Sophie had awoken and noticed his absence from her side. Unknown to him also, she had overheard much of what transpired in that telephone conversation. Her heart went out to her troubled fiancé and then quietly returned to bed wondering much through the night what her part in all of this would be.

**III**

Folding away his uniform, a blond haired man in his early twenties was getting ready to leave for the night. His shift was over and his job… at least for the night, was done. Standing over his locker and packing his duffel bag, he noticed a message on his phone requesting that he call. It was a call that he was expecting to make.

"Hi… it's me… Yeah, I followed your instructions to the letter."

He paused briefly and the expression on his face gradually turned somber. "Is he? No, I hadn't heard…. Are you going to visit him at the hospital?"

Again, he waited for the speaker on the other end to finish. "I don't think they know about the note he received. It is unfortunate, however, that the police have entered the picture but it was inevitable, I suppose. A bit sooner than we had planned."

The voice on the other end was getting noticeably agitated.

"What about Phase 2… should we delay it?" The young man asked, coolly. He waited patiently to receive his instructions before saying,

"You're the boss."

The conversation had come to an end and he hung up.

He picked up his bag and strolled calmly out of the staff entrance, anxious to get home. It had been that sort of day.

_Sorry, Chiaki… it's nothing personal but I have a job to do._

* * *

**Author's Comments:**

_As you would've noticed, this chapter is a little shorter than the others. I wanted something that would act as a transition between Day One and Day Two, without having to cram in a whole heap of information in one chapter. Also I felt that it was important to have these stepping stones for later.  
_

_I was utterly thrilled to receive so many lovely comments from the last chapter. I am pleased that this story has captured people's imagination. I've thanked a number of you privately for your comments… and please keep them coming! ;)_

_**Mmestrange:**__ Darn it, I can't comment on your comment without giving anything away but I'm really glad that the story's keeping the "little grey cells" active. I must confess, however, I am not a big fan of Wagner._

_**Gwen:**__ I loved Ten Little Indian Boys… although when I first read it, it was under a much less politically correct title. (Yeah… I am that old… LOL) Again, I really shouldn't make any comments relating to the plot. I could inadvertently give something away._


	7. Chapter 6: Day Two

**Chapter 6 : Day Two**

**I**

He was physically drained and racked with doubts. Justin wrestled with his tie for several minutes much to the amusement of his wife of fourteen hours.

"Come… let me fix it for you. Have you forgotten how to do your tie overnight?" She took control of the navy blue silk accessory and deftly transformed it into a Windsor knot against the plain white shirt he was wearing.

_Where did she learn to do this? That note said… Did she help Chiaki with his tie? Blast… what's the matter with me? Whatever happened between them was in the past… I shouldn't let it affect me that much. Still, she never once mentioned that she dated Chiaki at any stage. Why am I surprised… they performed together on a few occasions and I suppose some women might find him attractive._

Justin turned to the logical side of himself but to no avail. The insecurities that were simmering beneath kept rearing their head.

_Is she still in love with him? Am I just second best to her?_

He averted his eyes and quickly came up with some excuses. "Just tired… I suppose. Didn't get much sleep last night."

"Didn't you? Not used to sharing a bed with someone?" She flashed him a mischievous grin.

"It's not that… probably just the excitement of everything. With everything's that's been happening, there was probably a lot on my mind."

"Care to share them with me?"

He stared at her, inwardly wrestling with a morass of insecurities and doubts. "Are you happy, Rui?" He managed to stammer. "With me…"

"You've already asked me that a dozen times." She placed her hands on her hips and looked at him mystified.

"You could have done better for yourself." He tried desperately to keep the frustration out of his voice.

"Perhaps…" She teased playfully. Seeing the expression on his face, however, she grew serious.

"Justin, what's wrong… are you having second thoughts?" She leaned closer and grasped hold of his hands.

"Are you?"

Her indignation was palpable. "What kind of question is that?"

"A straightforward one."

"No… I'm not. I can't believe you're still asking me that after last night. Was it not all you expected?"

"Last night… was wonderful… better than wonderful."

"Then what is the problem?"

"There's no problem. It's just me, Rui… I'm just tired. My mind's all over the place."

"Well, I know just the remedy for that…" She reached for his lips and was stunned when he pulled away.

"I have to go… I need to talk to someone… Guild business…" He grabbed his jacket and hurried toward the door.

"What about breakfast?"

"I'll meet you at the restaurant." He pecked her on the forehead.

"Justin… what's going on…" She protested. But it was too late… he had already dashed out the door and slammed it behind him.

* * *

Elsewhere Chiaki watched his wife attempt to bring order to her slovenly mop with something that vaguely resembled a hairbrush. He wanted to ask her about the all-important recital which was consuming his thoughts. Yet, when he opened his mouth, something less scintillating fell out of it. 

"You didn't wear that dress… in spite of me saying that I liked it."

"I'm saving it…"

"Huh? For what…"

"The ball, idiot…_Muki_… there's not much point in me wearing a dress you like to something that you're not going to, is there?"

"The ball?"

"Your secret conductor business should be finished by then, right?"

"Maybe… It's very complicated at the moment."

"_Gyabo!_ They can't expect you to be working when they're all enjoying themselves at the ball, can they?

_Good question. I don't think they care particularly._ "I'm sure everything will be resolved by then." was the half-hearted assurance.

"Good… Nodame will be the most desirable woman at the ball. _Fuoh_..."

Chiaki narrowed his eyes and shot her a dour look. "Hey, what… are you talking about?"

"Well, if a beautiful dress can melt the stone, cold heart of Chiaki Shinichi, I am sure I will have the other men falling at my feet with no trouble at all."

"Stone, cold heart? Men falling at your feet? Who are you talking about… Are you having delusions of glamour?"

"Nodame only speaks the truth…" She insisted seriously. "_Mukyaaa!_" She gave an unholy yelp as her husband slammed her onto the bed peevishly.

"I'd rather tie you up and have you locked up in this room, than let you loose in a room full of ogling men, if that's going to be your attitude."

"But don't you want to have a wife that you can show off." She looked at him genuinely puzzled.

"I didn't marry you because I wanted a trophy wife…" _Goodness knows if I wanted one of those, you wouldn't have been on that list._

"I know that… but I want you to be proud of me."

"A dress isn't going to be make me more or less proud of you."

"But don't you want people to see that you have a desirable wife?" She was still mystified.

"No… absolutely _not_…" Chiaki was furiously adamant.

"Huh?"

"I only want _me_ to see… that I… have a desirable wife." Chiaki mumbled awkwardly.

The light dawned in her eyes. "Husband… can it be that you are being _possessive_?" She twittered gleefully.

"I'm not possessive." Chiaki declared glibly, although Jankowski's marital woes were never far from his mind. "I'm… exercising my right as a husband to… er… enforce… er… exclusive claim over my wife."

"Hmph… whatever… The trouble with you is that you still can't say what you feel… always hiding behind words."

"I don't hide…"

Nodame looked infuriated for a split second and then with a resigned air, attempted to get out of bed. "Ah well, at least Nodame can always take comfort in breakfast."

However, once again, she fell victim to her husband's temperament. "_Mukyaa_… what are you doing?" She cried as she was forcibly propelled back into the bed. "Are you trying to kill me?"

"Not at all…" Positioning himself on top of her, her husband whispered huskily into her ear. "I can make you a better offer…"

What he was going to offer, she didn't find out. At that moment they were both startled by a sharp rap on the door.

Deflated, he got up and straightened his clothing. "Did you order room service again without telling me?"

"No… not me…" She looked at him innocently. "I like the breakfast bar downstairs."

"Then who is it?"

"I have no idea."

Chiaki made his way to the door reluctantly. _Oh really. Wonder if this another one of her shenanigans._ "Who is it?" He raised his voice in obvious annoyance at the door.

"Chiaki, it's me, Justin Lee…"

_Justin Lee? What does he want from me first thing in the morning? Another new proposal… amendment? Doesn't this man ever stop working? Or understand the meaning of privacy?_

Opening the door, Chiaki observed that Justin was perceptibly jittery.

"Chiaki." Justin strode into the room, with anxiety written all over his face and then saw that Chiaki was not alone and stopped. "I'm sorry. But is there some where we can talk? Alone?"

"Er… well… we were…"

Nodame took this as her cue to exit. "You know what, I'm ready for a good, hearty breakfast. I'll see you later, husband."

"Nodame… wait…" Chiaki tried to collar her, except that she managed to slip past him and out the door.

"Meet you at the restaurant." She blew a kiss and skipped down the corridor, as her helpless husband watched her disappear from his view.

When Nodame was safely out of earshot, Justin turned to Chiaki in an heart-wrenching tone of voice, "Chiaki, I have to ask you… what was the nature of your relationship with my wife?"

"Your wife?" _I wasn't even aware that he was married._

"Rui." Noticing the blank look on Chiaki's face, he explained. "Son Rui… the pianist."

"You're married to Son Rui?" Chiaki threw him a stunned look.

"Just yesterday."

"Oh… congratulations." _No wonder he wasn't at the emergency meeting yesterday afternoon._

Justin studied Chiaki's face and saw nothing but surprise. "Thanks… it was a spur of the moment but we've been together for the past 3 years."

"I saw her a year or so ago but she said nothing about you two being an item."

"Her mother didn't exactly approve. In fact, she doesn't even know that we're married."

"That I believe." Chiaki looked amused.

Justin was somewhat relieved by Chiaki's seeming indifference. "You know her pretty well, don't you?"

"I suppose…" Remembering Justin's original question, he quickly added, "On a professional level mainly. You don't think that we were…"

"I don't know what to think." Justin sank into the nearest available armchair, overcome with a myriad of emotions. "I received this last night. It was slipped under our room door."

Taking hold of the note, Chiaki perused it carefully. When he looked up, his face was grim. "Several notes of this nature have been distributed to various members of the guild. Your is the sixth that I know of. Two others refused to show me theirs… guilty secrets from the past most probably."

"Why didn't I know about this?"

"Most likely you were getting married at the time." Chiaki remarked dryly. "While you were busy, we held an emergency members meeting yesterday to discuss the matter." _And I have the unenviable task of tracking the culprit down._

"Yeah…" Justin broke into a sheepish grin and scratched his head. "But why me? Or you for that matter?"

"I don't know what the perpetrator was trying to achieve sending you this note. But let me assure you, there has never been anything between us. The first time I met Rui, I was already involved with someone else. She was aware of that." _Although it took me a little longer to realize it._ "Have you asked her about it?"

Justin shook his head. "I was afraid to… I was afraid of what the answer might be."

"Why? Didn't she marry you willingly?"

"It's just that for the last three years, I felt that she was holding back. I didn't know why and when I got my hands on this, my first thought was…"

"There _was_ someone else and now you had a name for your suspicions." Chiaki finished his sentence for him.

"I wouldn't have minded if she had told me. I'm not so naïve to think an attractive girl like her would not have her share of suitors. I mean, I had a few relationships before her. But she had been non-committal."

"Lee, contrary to what was written in this note, I never led her on. Nodame and I have been together for about seven years now, all through the time I became acquainted with Rui. For my part, I'm telling you the truth. I am, however, surprised that you came to me first."

"I just… didn't know… what I would do if… I was afraid that… I would do something that I would regret later."

"Well, I'm glad you asked the question first before throwing the first punch."

"I don't think your wife would've liked it very much if I messed up your face on your honeymoon."

"No… not much. And trust me, you don't ever want to get on her bad side."

"Really? She's that scary?"

"Very."

* * *

The terror of a wife was not looking particularly frightening at that moment. Ravenous perhaps but hardly the horrifying creature her husband was making her out to be. Taking a languorous whiff of the aroma permeating the dining area, she was feeling very much in her element. Food had that effect on her… it was capable of taming the beast and sending her into a state of pure unadulterated bliss… something that would take her new husband a lifetime of learning to do. 

She had been rudely interrupted the previous day. There seemed to be a blatant disregard for a hungry woman's need for peace and quiet while eating. First by that tenacious British bulldog, James Beresford and then by Milch. On this day, she would be the epitome of vigilance… giving neither of them cause to barge in while partaking of these delectable delights. Looking cautiously to the left and to the right for uninvited guests, she zeroed in on the smorgasbord and plundered the glutton's haven faster than she could play the rubato for the_ Rach 3_.

Craving for some peace and quiet, she tucked herself in one corner of the dining room and attempted at leisure to satisfy her rapacious appetite. Unfortunately, it was not to be. Another newly wed who had been recently rebuffed by her newly acquired spouse was in dire need of companionship and who better than a familiar and somewhat friendly face. The only companionship that Nodame was interested in at that moment was the maple syrup covered pancake she was savouring. But it was not to be.

A slim figure slid into the seat opposite her. "Nodame… I'm so glad I spotted you. I hate eating alone, don't you?"

_Huh? Rui?_ "Whotchuduuingheer." Nodame was not ready to engage in intelligible dialogue.

"Don't mind me, Nodame… Go ahead and finish whatever it is you're eating…"

Nodame was wondering at that moment if she had done something to offend a certain higher power or was it just her miserable fate to have breakfast interrupted on her honeymoon.

She did, however, decide to take up Rui's generous offer and continued chewing silently, staring at the half-empty platter in dismay. Rui, on the hand, was unexpectedly garrulous.

"You must be wondering what I'm doing here."

Nodame nodded obligingly. _The thought had cross my mind._

"I'm on my honeymoon too. Just got married yesterday. Surprised?"

Surprise was an understatement. Nodame almost choked on second last chunk of fried flour.

"Are you alright?" Rui got up and went over to pat her back.

Again, Nodame assented and hurriedly stuffed an omelette in her mouth in case she was tempted to say something.

"Guess who I married?"

Nodame, of course, had no idea and stared at Rui with anticipation.

"Justin Lee… the Taiwanese conductor. You know him don't you? Not very tall, short hair… adorable nose, a human dynamo."

The description had a ring of familiarity about it although it could have been the profile of half a dozen or more men of her acquaintance. Nodame, however, was in something of an omelette state of mind and the one she was devouring was particular distracting.

Rui, however, seemed not to notice and continued prattling. "He's a good man and I'm lucky to be with him although we haven't told mother yet."

Nodame's interest was momentarily piqued when "mother" was mentioned. She recalled all too clearly that Rui's mother had more than a temper and wondered how long before the dragon would descend on this place and release her unmitigated fury.

"Want to see the ring he gave me?" Rui seemed preoccupied with fingering her ring. Fidgety almost.

Nodame moved her head amicably. Hers was not to question why… hers was to do or…

Cry? Nodame froze as she heard sniffles turn into sobs. Rui… was crying? But why? She had seemed rather pleased with life earlier.

"He hates me…" was what she managed to decipher between sobs and wails.

"Who?"

"Justin…"

"But didn't you two just get married?" Nodame wondered if she'd missed something… like a couple of pages or more from a manga that she'd been reading half-heartedly.

"He's changed his mind."

"He has? Why?"

"I… I… don't know. He seems… so… distant…"

Nodame decided to take the plunge and ask the next obvious question. "Did… er… you or he… have er… problems with the… man and woman music thing?"

"Man or woman music thing?"

"You know…" Nodame made the necessary gestures to get her point across but they seemed lost on Rui.

"I don't…"

"The thing you did on your… er… wedding night…" She mouthed the word "sex" inaudibly as extra reinforcement.

The penny dropped. "Oh that… yes, well… it was okay." Rui responded shyly. "I'm not very experienced."

"Only okay? That can't be good."

"Huh?"

"No wonder you're having problems already."

"Whaat?" Rui was stunned beyond words. Whatever sympathy she was expecting from Nodame, this was scarcely it.

Nodame lowered her voice to a whisper. "Men need to feel that they are doing well. Any reservations on your part could shatter their ego." She added conspiratorially.

Rui had no response for that. Years spent in music training and touring the world did not prepare her for the Nodame factor. Fortunately for both them, the conversation came to an abrupt end with the arrival of Chiaki.

"What you both being so secretive about?" _Are they exchanging notes, I wonder?_

"Nothing… just girl talk." Nodame kept a neutral expression on her face.

"Congratulations, Rui… I heard the good news."

"Thank you, Chiaki."

"Your husband told me to tell you that he's waiting for you in your room."

"You spoke to him?"

"Yeah, I did…"

"Can I ask you what you talked about?" She asked anxiously.

"Maybe it's best you ask him yourself…"

"Is he alright?"

"Let's put it this way, he was a happier man when I left him than when he burst into our room earlier."

Rui gave Chiaki a smile and a hug. "Thank you, Chiaki." and took off with a rising hope in her heart.

"Now, Nodame… what were you two talking about?"

"Nothing… really… just stuff between girls."

"I hope you didn't tell her anything that you shouldn't have."

"Who me? Of course, not… Don't be ridiculous, husband."

The husband glared at his wife for as long as he could without blinking but she did not crack… she did not so much as bat an eyelash.

* * *

A feeling of relief flooded over her but alas it was short-lived. As Rui crossed the lobby, a familiar scream of tyranny reverberated through the room. 

"I knew I'd find you here."

"Mama…" _How did she get here so quickly? I'm not ready to deal with her yet._

"Come home with me at once… you silly girl." The mother swung her arm and reached for her daughter with practiced efficiency. "Hope you haven't made a fool of yourself."

"I… can't…" The daughter struggled to break free.

"Okay… who is it… Justin or Chiaki?"

"Pipe down, Mama… People can hear you. Chiaki is married now…"

"So it's Justin then? How many times have I told you that men only care about one thing?"

"Mama… Justin's not like that." Rui protested vainly. "Anyway, we were married yesterday."

"What?! Without my permission? I insist you get an annulment."

"I am twenty-six years old soon to be twenty-seven, Ma. I don't need your permission to get married."

"You're making a terrible mistake."

"Well, maybe I am. But at least it will be _my_ mistake, Ma. _Mine._" Rui spoke with uncharacteristic defiance and stormed off before anyone could see the tears steaming down her hot cheeks.

Her mother could only stand there… all agape… What did that pup of a boy do to her daughter?

* * *

"See you later, husband." 

Chiaki gave his wife's hand a light squeeze before pulling away in a different direction.

"Don't forget, we're having dinner with the president of the guild tonight. Don't forget to take a bath, wear something decent and don't over do the make up."

"Yeah, sure." Nodame waved her arms airily before abruptly putting her hand to her mouth. "Oh, I almost forgot… Guess who I saw last night…"

"Who?"

"Guess…"

"How am I supposed to know? There must've been at least 250 people there."

"Possibly… Ha… you'll never guess."

"I don't have time to play games, Nodame… We'll talk about it later."

"But wait…"

Someone called out for Chiaki some distance away. He gave her one last look before walking away slowly.

Nodame sighed. Perhaps it was for the best. It was hard to know how Shinichi would react to news about his father. The anger he had built up over the years against his father would not be so easily pacified. It occurred to her in some nebulous way that 20 questions might not be the best way to approach this. She would have to find some other way to break it to him gently.

She decided to turn her attention to her plans for the day. Some sightseeing for the day would be good. _Karlskirche maybe, The Hofburg, Schonnbrunn Palace, The Danube Tower…_

So engrossed in the planning and recitation of her mental list, she did not see that someone was walking briskly in pursuit of her.

"Ms Noda… wait… A word if you will." Her pursuant waved her down breathlessly. "I'm so glad I caught you in time. The receptionist wasn't sure when you'd be back in your room."

Nodame was astonished. "Miss Sophie…" _How did she know I was here?_

"Oh good, I'm glad you remembered me."

"Yes, of course. What can I do for you?"

"Can we talk somewhere?"

"Sure… what about?"

"It's about Masa… and his son…"

An uneasy tension sprung up between them.

"His son?" _Does she know?_

"You're married to his son, aren't you?"

_Gabon. She knows._ "Does he know?"

Sophie nodded slowly. "He found out last night somehow… something you said gave him the idea. Anyway he called his ex-wife… to be sure..."

"_Gibo?_… They talked?"

"For a while… Apparently it was all very amicable."

_He's going to kill me. _"What does Chiaki _sensei_ want from me?"

"He doesn't know I'm here. He doesn't even know that I know. But…"

"Yes?"

"I worry about him. I think it pains him that he doesn't know his own son although he tries to brush it off… as if he doesn't care."

_Like father, like son._ "His own son doesn't know him either and pretends he doesn't care."

"I feel that something must be done. Is there… some way… we can bring them together?"

There was a meaningful pause as Nodame attempted to sort out her own feelings regarding that thorny dilemma.

"I don't know Miss Sophie… I don't know if Shinichi will agree to this… it's so complicated…" _And it would take a miracle of Puri-Gorota proportions._

**II**

As he strolled down the corridor, Beresford could not shake off a persistent feeling of impending doom. He wondered at his own wisdom… for this sentimental gesture on his part… and seriously doubted whether it would be reciprocated.

If he had been truly honest with himself, Beresford would have admitted that wherever he went, a feeling of suppressed loneliness followed him. Because of his reputation as a ladies man, he had never expected to form permanent ties… indeed… it suited him not to. He gloried in being a free agent… answerable to no one but his own lusts. Time and age, however, were variables that he had not factored into his plans. Certainly, there were transient pleasures to be had but the truth was the life he led was a lonely one. In many ways, he and Peter Drake were not so different… pathetic creatures clutching onto one morsel of gratification to the next, only to find at the other end of the road, ashes and broken glass in their place.

Hence, it was with much trepidation he went to visit his friend, who had reportedly awoken but was still in a weakened state. Not too surprising, he was met by a bitterly miserable Peter Drake as he entered the room.

"Why have you come? Haven't you done enough damage? Come here to twist the knife and finish the job, have you?" For a man who was weak, he managed enough venom to paralyze an elephant.

"Peter… it wasn't me…" Beresford was inwardly relieved that his friend was physically incapacitated. Drake looked as if he was ready to throttle him.

"I thought we were friends, James. Why?" Drake implored with a heartbroken sob.

"I swear I wasn't sleeping with her. Goodness knows she wasn't even my type. You know me better than anyone… you of all people should know that I couldn't stand the sight of that woman. I still don't know what the blazes you saw in her."

"But the photo… the message…"

"It's bollocks … Some fiend is out to cause problems in the guild. I've been talking to some of the others. Apparently several notes of a similar nature have been passed around."

"Really? What about the photo…"

"The coppers asked me about that too… She wanted a job… for… one of her… boys and tried her usual tricks on me."

"Who took the photo then?"

"I don't know… I thought she set it up, trying to get back at me. But now… I'm not too sure."

For a while both men fell silent and digested the ramifications of those recent developments. The room was so quiet that one could hear the tension between them gradually easing.

Drake ended the silence with a dose of mournful anguish. "This is the end of the road for me, James. I just know that she's going to leave me now."

Beresford thought the kindest thing he could do for his friend at that moment was to be brutally honest.

"Is that such a catastrophe really?" He paused to let the thought sink in. "That woman almost destroyed your life, Peter. She married you for your money so she could indulge in all her extra-marital diversions on the side… Now that she's run you dry, she'll have no qualms about abandoning the sinking ship."

"I loved her… gave her everything she wanted. That surely must've meant something."

_Not to her._ "I know… But maybe it's time to think about what you want."

"I just want her… back."

_Lord what fools these mortals be…_

**III**

"Are there any messages for me?"

"Oh yes, Mr Chekhov… the nursing home rang…"

"Is it my wife? Is she alright…"

"She had a fall this morning. They tried to get you on your mobile phone but you must've switched it off."

"Did they say how she is?"

"They were quick to reassure me that she was attended to immediately. Other than that, I don't know."

"Thank you. I'll get in touch with them myself once I return to my room."

That he was worried was an understatement. He had been of two minds about coming to the conference but Weiss and some of the others had managed to convince him that a few days away from caring for his wife would do him some good. Everyone was at pains to assure him that she would be in good hands. In his haste to get to the elevators, Ivan Chekhov brushed past a bellhop absent-mindedly.

"I'm sorry."

"My apologies…" A youngish man in his early twenties tipped his hat and maneuvered himself and the trolley he was pushing, out of the way.

It was only later when Chekhov arrived at his room and started to make that call, that he realized that there was something familiar about that man.

* * *

**Author's Comments:**

_To my regular reviewers... **Ebony, Kana and Kandida**... I give you my heartfelt thanks for giving me that extra push to get the next chapter done. Goodness only knows how much I needed it last week. **Star Garden**, I just saw your review... thank you... I'm glad you loved it... I'm trying to work super hard on the characterization especially because of issues with __Intermezzo in that regard._

_I'm slowing down a little with the updates because I expect the next two months to be super busy. I looked at my diary last week and gasped in horror as I noted the number of things I've committed myself to in March and April that require preparation. Not to mention my return to part-time work. Ah well... at least I can claim to have a life... :D_


	8. Chapter 7

**Chapter 7**

_Know then thyself, presume not God to scan;  
The proper study of Mankind is Man.  
Plac'd on this isthmus of a middle state,  
A being darkly wise, and rudely great:  
With too much knowledge for the Sceptic side,  
With too much weakness for the Stoic's pride,  
He hangs between; in doubt to act, or rest,  
In doubt to deem himself a God, or Beast;  
In doubt his Mind or Body to prefer,  
Born but to die, and reas'ning but to err;  
Alike in ignorance, his reason such,  
Whether he thinks too little, or too much:  
Chaos of Thought and Passion, all confus'd;  
Still by himself abus'd, or disabus'd;  
Created half to rise, and half to fall;  
Great lord of all things, yet a prey to all;  
Sole judge of Truth, in endless Error hurl'd:  
The glory, jest, and riddle of the world!_

_ ("Essay on Man", Alexander Pope)  
_

**I**

Nodame didn't know why she had agreed to the visit. It did seem like a good idea at the time. Not that she had been pressed to go along but she could sense an urgent desperation in the other woman's voice. A woman, who not unlike herself, was seeking resolution for the man she loved. Still, Nodame harboured some misgivings… but nothing that would cause her to turn back. These misgivings were not so much about the rightness of her actions but that the man she had married would not approve of her actions… that he would misunderstand and perhaps even question her loyalty to him. Despite possible objections to this excursion, something else was driving her forward… something that overcame her many uncertainties. Curiosity perhaps… unabated curiosity about the man whom she married… curiosity about the father he never talked about… or acknowledged… curiosity about the home they once shared and curiosity about the father-in-law she did not know. Although she knew the son in his manhood… his childhood was for her like a large missing piece of the puzzle… leaving behind a gaping hole in her understanding of the man she adored. He made very little reference to it and it seemed that the less he said, the more determined she was to fill those gaps in on her own. Now it seemed as if the opportunity to learn more had arisen and she was anxious to strike while the iron was hot.

In the busyness of the past several years, as they were both attempting to establish their respective careers, the matter had seemed vaguely insignificant in the overall scheme of things. However, now that she had, as it were, got her man, it occurred to her that she was duty-bound to plumb the mystery of the father/son estrangement, probing around in areas that had been closed off to her. In her own way she could see that his refusal to broach the subject was nothing more than his way of camouflaging a festering wound. A wound that could easily threaten their future together... something that Vieira _sensei_ had cautioned her about. And nothing mattered more to her than this future… which she had fought so hard to have.

Meeting Chiaki Masayuki face to face for the first time the previous night, hit home to her that the father was more than just an enigma to her. Like it or not, the man was family, and his influence on the son was far more significant than the son was ready to acknowledge. Despite the absence of the father from his son's life, his enduring legacy continued to haunt the son. She had some understanding of the reasons for the son's acerbic animosity towards his father and yet she was capable of seeing past the bitter façade, offering equal doses of compassion to two men who, undoubtedly, needed to confront one another. From what little she had seen and heard, she had come to the melancholic conclusion that despite the father's reticence and the son's obstinacy, one needed forgiveness and the other needed to forgive.

Despite her naiveté, Nodame could understand that much. Better than her husband, she knew that someone had to take the first step in righting past wrongs. With both men being so taciturn, it was up to her, with Sophie's help, to bridge this gap.

So caught up with her musings, she did not realize that the car had stopped. With some prompting from her companion, she woke from her reverie and cast her eye over her surroundings and stared for some time at the extensive grounds where Shinichi had spent some of his childhood. In the middle of the estate, was an unassuming structure erected during the art noveau/secession period that through time had blended in with the natural environment.

Inside, the old family house was simply furnished. The furniture looked tasteful but did not suggest opulence but utility. Chiaki Masayuki did not appear to surround himself with much by way of material possessions apart from the odd piece of souvenir that he had picked up in his travels. As an outsider looking in, Nodame was struck by the fact that it was a place of memories. A place where seemingly disparate pieces of memories intersected and coalesced. There were photographs everywhere… side by side were newspaper clippings of past achievements neatly framed. Photographs lined the walls and the closed lid of the Steinway, that made its home in the brightest part of the lounge. Any available space between books in bookcases, shelves were all seconded for the display of these pictorial memories… memories which spoke of a lifetime lived in music. Nodame did not recognize many of the characters that inhabited Masayuki _sensei_'s world from the past and present. However, there were others… Seiko _okaa_ _san_, Nina and members of the Miyoshi family… who came and went out from his life under less than happy circumstances. Then there were the competition write ups… the awards… the triumphant performances, captured on film. The house was a time capsule… narrating the entire history of the pianist as he made a name for himself and conquered the world stage… the public face of one of the world's great pianists. But notably missing was the private face… the struggling father, the failed husband… the man who saw himself first as a musician and left everything else by the wayside.

Nodame was rooted to the ground trying to decipher something of the man from these memories. Her attention was so focused on these artifacts that she was oblivious to the soft footsteps that were moving towards her.

"Noda san. I apologize for the mess. If I had known that you were coming…" Masayuki san darted a puzzled look at his fiancée and then turned to watch Nodame flit her gaze all around the room.

"So many photographs…" Nodame stood mesmerized as if she had not heard his remarks. The room reminded her of an art gallery. "Are there any of Shinichi?"

"Over there…" He pointed to the glistening Steinway.

Nodame drew great comfort from that… it gave her a measure of hope seeing those photos of the son on what must be the most prized possession in the room. Shinichi had been a boy who seemed eager to please. Yet despite all his antipathy against his father, there was something of that boy still lingering in the consciousness of the young conductor.

"Why did you come, Noda san?"

This time she turned around and faced her companions. "Please call me Nodame…" She paused briefly before saying. "I wanted to know what sort of man I married… and the kind of a man he could become."

Chiaki Masayuki fixed his gaze at her thoughtfully. "Did you find out anything?" _There is something child-like about her. Guileless too…_

She turned to face him. "Maybe… It's hard to say…"

"What is…"

"He needs to be here… he needs to know about this."

"Do you think so?"

Nodame nodded vigorously. "Absolutely… whether he wants to or not…"

"Does he want to?"

"I think he does but I think he is afraid… He is still living inside that 11 year old boy's head. He wants to get out because the space is getting smaller and it is suffocating him but he thinks it is safer to stay inside, away from the monster that will pounce on him the moment he leaves."

"So you think I am the monster?"

"Are you?" Nodame asked him simply, with no sense that she was sitting in judgment of him.

"If I am… I am an old, tired monster with no more teeth left…"

"_Gifu_…" Nodame flung her arms around her father-in-law with great compassion. Sophie, who had been watching in silence, made her exit with tears streaming down her face. _She's the key... she has to be... there is no one else._

Chiaki senior was taken aback, being unaccustomed to outward displays of affection. "You don't seem afraid of this old monster…" He stammered.

"There's no need… he was never really a monster. Just a lonely man who didn't know what was important to him until it was too late."

Chiaki Masayuki could not but be affected by this spontaneous show of kindness.

_Yes, I was right… there is something about her…_

"Shinichi is very lucky to have found someone like you." Chiaki Masayuki muttered, his voice rich with emotion.

"I hope he thinks so too."

"If he doesn't, he's just as much a fool as his father."

* * *

"You're a miracle worker, Shinichi… You had more than half these people agree on something… even if it was just a word."

"I don't think I did anything. Everyone's on edge at the moment… wondering if they're going to be next on the poison pen's list." He then added wryly, "They probably suspect me which is why they're being unusually cooperative."

"You give yourself far too little credit. Besides, I don't think they suspect you at all. They might, on the other hand, suspect Stresemann and the fact that you were once his apprentice…"

"Has caused them to be more amenable to my propositions than they would otherwise have." Chiaki finished his former teacher's sentence.

"Perhaps." Vieira grinned. "Perhaps they actually do like the new secretary."

"Do they? I don't know about that." Shinichi wondered. "This whole thing is a nightmare. I should never have brought her here. It was a bad idea from the start."

"Well, it is difficult to spend a honeymoon alone…" Vieira's grin grew wider and then he chuckled.

"It was a mistake trying to rush everything. We could've postponed… "

"From what I've heard, I don't think you could be accused of rushing anything." Vieira commented slyly.

"Yeah, well… I probably tried to achieve too many things in a short space of time." He fell silent and then changed the subject. "So how was the recital last night?"

"She didn't tell you?"

"No… we didn't get round to it…" Shinichi remarked sheepishly. "Was… er… everything alright?"

"She tripped on her dress and fell onto the piano."

"Whaaat…"

"Just joking…"

"Vieira _sensei_… If you were trying to cause me to experience a heart attack, well, you almost succeeded."

"She was amazing… Shinichi… just amazing. She has the extraordinary gift to take the audience along to wherever she's going to. It wasn't long before she had the audience eating out of her hand. And later, she handled the post-recital mingle superbly. An absolute professional. She's a natural at this game and she'll go far."

_I'm glad. I know I should be there for her…_ "I'm relieved to hear this… it's hard to know with that woman sometimes…"

"You worry about her a lot, don't you?"

"She's completely irresponsible… even though she's twenty-eight years old. She just doesn't take care of herself properly."

"Well, at least she has you to keep an eye on her."

"Not that I have much of a choice." He grumbled. "Well, at least she survived the night without me."

"I think she did better than that. Much better. Even your father was impressed. And I don't think a pianist of his calibre would be that easily impressed."

_Your father? Dad was there last night? What the devil was he doing there?_

"Shinichi... are you alright? You looked like you've seen a ghost."

"Almost. My father was there?"

"Did she not tell you?" Vieira asked in surprise. "They even chatted briefly."

"No… she didn't." was the grim response. "As I said earlier, we never got round to it."

* * *

"I didn't know… I hadn't heard."

"I tried very hard to keep it under wraps. My agent put out a brief press statement, saying that I was taking some time out of touring and then imposed a media blackout. There was a short piece about it on_Classical Life_ but they were under strict orders not to say too much more or make any attempt invade my privacy. Fortunately I'm just a humble classical pianist and not a Hollywood or pop star."

Nodame recalled the systematic way in which Shinichi weeded out news about his father. "Shinichi throws away any copy of _Classical Life_ that features news about you."

"Oh…" A profound sadness flooded the man's eyes. "I suppose he would…" _So that's the way it is with him._

"What did you do to him to make him so angry with you?"

"I committed one of the worst sins a father can inflict on his children."

"Which is…?"

"I ignored him."

* * *

The son, unaware of the conversation between his wife and father, was in turmoil. He lamented that after all these years, the merest mention of his father would be enough to send his mind into a spin. They had effectively spent the last eighteen years ignoring and avoiding one another even while working in the same field. Still, it hadn't been too difficult the last few years particularly, with his father dropping out of the limelight, leaving a trail of rumours about an early retirement. He did recall, however, hearing about his making a minor comeback 12 months earlier.

He couldn't help feeling the merest bit curious… _Dad attending Nodame's recital… _He doubted that he even knew who she was. But Vieira_sensei_ mentioned that they had conversed. Despite himself, he was burning with curiosity. _Did she tell him who she was?_

His thoughts flew to the arguments he had with his mother six months earlier about whether or not to invite his father to the wedding. He had been adamant in his refusal.

"Shinichi… whatever he's done, he is still your father." She had tried to remind him.

"So what… as far as he's concerned… I'm just an accident of biology. An inconvenience in the grand scheme of his life and career. It doesn't make him my father."

"Shinichi, what's the matter with you? Even after all this time…"

"Has he once picked up the phone to ask me how I am? He has never attended any of my performances except the one time with the Roux-Marlet and even then he had to be dragged to it."

"Have _you_ picked up the phone to call him?"

"Why should I? I'm not the one that left, remember. And why are you taking his side? He wasn't that much of a husband to you either."

"He wasn't always like this. And you know that just as well as I do."

"I haven't heard so much as a whisper out of him the last eighteen years, I doubt he'll be any more interested in me, now that I'm getting married."

"We don't know that, do we?"

"Well, I do."

"What does Nodame think about all this? Isn't she the least bit curious? Maybe she wants to meet you father."

"It doesn't concern her."

"It doesn't concern her?! Shinichi, what are you talking about? She's going to be your wife, for goodness sake. Have you ever asked her? Have you ever talked about it?"

"She's marrying me… not him…"

"Are you sure?"

"What are you talking about, mum?"

"Whether you like it or not, Chiaki Shinichi… you are still your father's son… Ignore him… Pretend all you like… but that is the inescapable truth of your life. Sooner or later, you need to face up to it. I just hope you don't make the same mistakes he did."

Her words on that occasion were still ringing in his ear. He had no intention of facing up to it. He thought about the lonely 11 year old boy who left Europe… the disappointment of being torn away from his beloved Vieira _sensei_… the trauma he suffered as a result of the emergency plane landing… his gnawing frustration at not being able to return to Europe… the time he was on the verge of giving up on music and then the mad, irrepressible _hentai_ that turned his life upside down and around. In his mind, he owed his father nothing. As far as he could see, his father had given up all his paternal rights the day his parents went their separate ways and the elder Chiaki had made no attempt to stay in contact with his son.

_I was a thorn in his side. That's all he ever saw me as. He was probably relieved to see the back of me._

Thinking about his father, more often than not, left a bitter aftertaste in his mouth.

The day they married he swore that he would never be like his father… as long as he had her to keep him on the right track. She would keep him grounded, she would give him perspective and most of all, she would give him uncompromising devotion. His mother had been right all those years ago. Nodame was his angel… the most unlikely of unlikely helpmates. In moments when there was no one else watching, he would confess to his own soul that he was a better man because of her.

_Strange that she did not mention that she saw that person. _

Two people who could not be more different, whose impact on his personality were equally potent. One by his absence, had brought out the worst in him and the other, by her persistence had shown him possibilities from within and put hope back in his heart. Just as his bitterness against his father was a blight in his otherwise satisfactory life, his love for her was a refuge… a place he could learn to be himself.

It was then that he remembered that she had tried to tell him but as usual he had not taken her seriously.

* * *

"Why… _gifu_… why?" Nodame looked at her father-in-law with a genuine desire to understand.

"Nodame… I hope you never find out the kind of price some of us pay for our craft." He gave her a sorrowful smile. "From the way you play… it gives me reason to think you won't."

"Huh?" _Gifu is speaking in riddles._

"Have you heard the saying, 'Fire is a good servant but a bad master.'?"

Nodame nodded.

"Well, the same can be said about ambition. Few of us ever reach the heights of our craft and when we do, it is because we make all kinds of choices to get there. I made many choices, Nodame, some good, some bad… for the purpose of gaining dominance in our field. Like Thomas Mann's_Doctor's Faustus_, I allowed my ambitions to consume me to the extent that I lost sight of what was really important in life. For the sake of achieving those ambitions, I convinced myself that I had to attain musical perfection and that if I had to make a choice between being a musical success and being without a family, I believed that it was better to be alone. I fulfilled my ambitions… I was alone out of choice and yet I felt nothing but emptiness. It's a well-known cliché but it's true, Nodame… success exacts a terrible price… all the worse when you have no one to share it with."

"I know… I saw you play in Paris several years ago… so much lonely passion… I thought you were a cold, heartless man for the way you cast aside your son but when you played, I felt your pain eating you on the inside."

"Did you?… I didn't even know it myself at the time. I thought as long as I had the music to keep me company, I could live with the loneliness. It never occurred to me that I would ever stop playing. It was my _raison d'etre_. Then, as you know, I almost lost the music too… and it became obvious to me that I had nothing. I was nothing… but an empty shell of a man… At the end of the day, I was only as good as my last performance. If I couldn't play, no one would care if I lived or died. I am living proof the curse of selfish ambition is an inescapable reality."

"That's not true…"

Chiaki Masayuki shook his head. "You, my dear daughter-in-law, play because you love and you love life. You play with the purest of motives. It's obvious to everyone who listens. The music may possess you but it will never consume you because you are larger than it is. Ambition will never have its way with you because you don't play to be a success but you play to celebrate the joy of being able to make music." He paused to make sense of the many things that were going through his mind. " I envy you. I wish I had learnt that a long time ago… when change was still possible."

"Of course it's still possible."

"Coming from you, I'd almost believe it."

**II**

Alex Weiss, president of the Conductor's Guild, was concerned for his long-time friend and colleague. _Hope everything's alright with Ivan… he didn't turn up at today's meeting. Wonder if it had anything to do with Natalya._

Under the apparently jovial exterior, belied a serious and passionate mind. In the course of his thirty plus years conducting in orchestras around Europe and North America, Weiss had devoted himself to the promotion of classical music especially among the young. He had grown up with a strong sense of obligation… that it was the duty of the old guard to nurture the young… to pass down collective wisdom from generation to generation. All this was drummed into him by his father. As the son of the great romantic pianist, Franz Weiss, young Alex was exposed to classical music from birth. Although he lost his mother at the tender age of ten, he thrived under his father's determination to be both father and mother to his son, which meant of course, that he went everywhere with his father and saw half the world before he turned fifteen. Weiss senior was no lax parent. He was indubitably strict and a great believer in discipline. It was his abiding mantra that without discipline one could never become a true musician and this he instilled day and night into his motherless progeny like the eleventh commandment. In return, the son revered his father and drank in his father's words like nectar from heaven. In time, his father's creed became his, which he interpreted to the letter.  
This meant, of course, that the younger Weiss gave no thought to anything beyond music. While young men his age were chasing girls, driving fast cars or playing sports, he was closeted in his apartment refining his technique on his father's beloved C Bechstein grand. The piano had been his first love and he had meant to follow in his father's footsteps. Tragically, however, an accident in his twenty-first year resulted in his middle finger becoming defective so that dream was shattered. In his twenty-second year, his father passed away after a short battle with lung cancer. For the first time in his life, Alex Weiss was all alone.

Weiss had all but given up on music when the great love of his life, Anna Montgomery, the British soprano, encouraged him to consider conducting. From that time onwards, he did not look back. There was no reason to, he had her. But that ended too. He had been too busy building his career to notice that they had drifted apart and soon after, Anna left him for a hotelier. He was alone again.

Although he was his father's son, Alex fought hard to be a musician in his own right and after a stint with the London Symphony Orchestra several years later, he finally emerged from his father's shadow. He had become Alex Weiss, the conductor, a specialist in the classical period. He remained single and the reasons why that was so became the object of much speculation over the years.

As the front man of the guild, he thought it politic to pay Drake a visit. Unlike the others, he took his role seriously. It frustrated him that he was thought of only as a mouthpiece for the guild. Like most members, he had been aware of Drake's marital woes and drinking problems but had not been inclined to tackle the issues. After all, a man's private life was his own.

As he made his way down the sanitized corridors amidst the hustle and bustle, he was struck by the observation that hospitals exuded a certain surreality. It seemed to him that they were places where the sick go to find healing and respite from the harsh realities of the world outside. A place where death was postponed or prolonged. _Not all that different from a performance or a recital._

He was about to enter Drake's room when he noticed, that Drake was receiving visitors that moment. This aroused a passing curiosity and he satisfied himself with remaining outside. His interest was piqued when he heard the taller man refer to himself as a member of the police.

"The doctor tells me that you are able to answer a few questions, Mr Drake."

"What do you wish to know, Inspector?"

"Were you aware of your present medical condition?"

"I… I hadn't been feeling well for some time now but I attributed it to stress."

"I see." The inspector paused briefly before continuing. "Did you know about your wife's indiscretions?"

"Yes…"

"And you were satisfied with that arrangement?"

"Of course, I wasn't… but it was a compromise. Everyone compromises in marriage."

_But sharing your wife with other men seems… rather extreme._

"Mr Drake, I'm going to ask you a question which may seem rather insensitive on my part."

"What is it, inspector?"

"Did you try to take your own life?"

"By drinking myself to death? Hardly." was Drake's morose answer. "As I said earlier, I didn't know I had liver problems."

"But you suspected something though."

"I'm not a medical man, inspector. I didn't know the symptoms."

"Seeing the picture and that note must have affected you greatly."

"It shook me to the core…"

"Enough for you to want to end it all?"

"Inspector, I may be a coward and a cuckold but I don't have a death wish." Drake replied with a touch of asperity.

_Really._ _That remains to be seen._ "The doctor said that you drank three times more than a normal person should."

"I drink for recreation, to escape from reality, perhaps even to drown my sorrows but nothing else."

The inspector changed tack. "So you have no idea who might have sent you the photograph and the note?"

"No idea at all. But James said that some prankster has been sending them to various members of the conductor's guild. Different types of notes."

"Is that a fact? And where is this conductor's guild?"

"We're having our triennial conference at the Ambassador's Hotel."

"Are you now?"

"It doesn't sound like something that warrants police interference though."

"On the contrary, Mr Drake, it's something that would most certainly warrant police interest."

* * *

**Author's Comments:**

_I'm tearing my hair out over some of the Japanese forms of address. So please, if I've committed any hideous cultural sins please let me know. I've asked a Japanese speaking friend about some of the specifics and she has given me different information to what I found on an online Jap-Eng dictionary._

_I have also been told that Japanese women change their surnames when they marry, however, seeing that Nodame is something of a minor celebrity I thought I could get away with her keeping her maiden name. Although strictly speaking I haven't asked Chiaki if he minds. ;)_

_As usual, all comments are greatly appreciated. _


	9. Chapter 8

**Chapter 8**

_And would it have been worth it, after all,  
Would it have been worth while,  
After the sunsets and the dooryards and the sprinkled streets,  
After the novels, after the teacups, after the skirts that trail along the floor--  
And this, and so much more?--  
It is impossible to say just what I mean!  
But as if a magic lantern threw the nerves in patterns on a screen:  
Would it have been worth while  
If one, settling a pillow, or throwing off a shawl,  
And turning toward the window, should say:  
"That is not it at all,  
That is not what I meant, at all.''_

_("The Love Song of Alfred J Prufrock", T.S. Eliot)_

**I**

She had begun the day with a spring in her step and buoyant about the future. In an instant, however, all that had come to naught. Dashing out of the elevator, she tore down the corridor weeping piteously, hoping that no one had seen her or recognized her. 

_I was a fool to think that I could run away from Ma. I will never have the kind of life I want. To make my own decisions about how I want to live my life, who I can or can't be with. Can't she ever let me go?_

By now her surroundings were a blur, her vision hampered by an incessant outpouring of tears. So much so that she failed to notice the familiar figure that lightly brushed against her arm. To him she was the sheltered, ex-prodigy and to her he was the overly critical best friend that detested her.

_What the… She's here? What is she doing here? Is she crying?_

"Rui…" Steve Wong called after her. "Is that you? Is everything alright?"

She was too intent on her destination and too preoccupied to notice or listen. Wong, accustomed to being slighted, shrugged it off as one of her dramatic temper tantrums. 

_They must've had a spat. When will he realize what everyone else already knows and that the heart of mummy's girl lies elsewhere… He's a fool pining over her in this fashion. As I was…_

_Anyway, it's his funeral… I suppose there's no reasoning with him… It does, however, explain why he's gone AWOL the last twenty-four hours. _

Wong wandered off in a different direction. She, on the other hand, couldn't get into her hotel room soon enough and when she did, she was greeted by her husband whose pleasure on seeing her was soon replaced by distress as he saw her red, puffed-up eyes.

"Rui… what happened?" Justin whipped a large handkerchief from out of his pocket and gave it to her

She made no attempt to reply. Instead, she muffled her sobs with the handkerchief and had the appearance of someone for whom the end was nigh.

Her husband was perplexed. "Are you still angry with me about what happened this morning?"

She shook her head and responded with a whimper.

"Then what is it… Is it something Chiaki said or did?" Again, she shook her head and gave a heartbreaking wail.

"Was it that strange wife of his?" 

Yet again, all he received was more head shaking.

Justin was experiencing a growing frustration but wisely refrained from asking any more questions.

Eventually he was rewarded for his patience. "It's Mama…" She paused before dropping the bombshell. "She found me… us… she's here… downstairs… and she wants me to nullify the marriage.

_Oh… crap… _

Unfortunately for them, Mama was in the lobby haggling with the hotel manager insisting that he surrender a room to her immediately. She spoke in a tone of voice that was calculated to draw attention. Unfortunately for her, she was unaware that she was dealing with an old hand.

"Madam… I'm sorry but we are fully booked until the end of the week. We are currently hosting a conference here and there are no more rooms available. Can I suggest that you inquire at the Hyatt just two blocks from here? "

"Look young man… do you know who I am?"

"I'm sorry Madam, but the fact is, we really have no more room."

"I am the mother of the piano prodigy, Rui Son, and I…"

The manager maintained his cool, having been witness to the ugly side of human nature for twenty odd years. _Ah… one of those. Control freaks who think the world owes them. Parents riding on the success of their children. _"Mrs Son, I wish we could help you but quite frankly, you have come at a most inopportune moment. Again, I'm sure the Hyatt will be happy to accommodate you. In fact, we can help you make the necessary inquiries, if you like."

Mrs Son swung her large leather handbag over her shoulders and left the manager in no doubt of her displeasure. "Hah… This won't be the last you'll hear from me on this matter." She threatened and then promptly strutted out of the hotel like a peacock whose feathers have been plucked.

As soon as the coast was clear, the lowly receptionist turned to the manager who had remained unflappable through out. "Aren't you afraid that she's going to make trouble? We could have found her a room somehow."

"She might… she might not… but we get these types frequently enough… often their bark is worse than their bite."

**II**

Chiaki loosened his tie and stretched out on the sofa. _I wonder where she's got to.__I might ring her and we could meet somewhere for lunch._

He pressed 1 on his speed dial in an attempt to make that appointment. After a short burst of ringing, his call was immediately transferred to her voice mail. 

_Typical. Can't reach her when I want to… What is she doing that is so important that she has to switch off her phone?_

An unpleasant thought struck him. _She hasn't gone to watch something without me, has she? She's quite capable of it too._

_Damn it… I told her… to wait…_

Perhaps it was the word 'wait' that did the trick but annoyance was immediately replaced by guilt. _Well, I can't blame her… I can't expect her to sit around all day waiting for me like a dutiful wife._

_A dutiful wife… she definitely isn't... even if she has clung on to her fantasies all these years.  
_

Chiaki sank further into his sofa and uttered a sigh. It had been a relatively satisfactory day in the office. The mood among members remained tensed with some nervously peering over their respective shoulders wondering if they were going to fall victim to the inexplicable whims of the sender of the poison pen notes. The motives behind these notes continued to be a mystery… there were no demands accompanying them so they could not be said to be strictly blackmail. Whatever his or her motives were, they had struck fear in the hearts of those who had skeletons in their proverbial cupboards and took their attention away from the more mundane aspects of the conference. 

All this speculating and waiting was causing Chiaki to mope about restlessly. _We should've been more organized. I should've got her to tell me where she was going. Still, I wasn't expecting to be finished quite this early._

After several minutes of bemoaning about what he should have done, Chiaki decided to head down to the restaurant for a bite to eat… all the while wondering what that intrepid wife of his was up to… whether she was enjoying herself… whether she was pigging out somewhere or worse still, if she had met with a mishap somewhere in her travels. That thought stayed with him until he found himself standing at the entrance of the restaurant.

* * *

"Husband made a sandcastle?"

"Oh yes… not just any sandcastle. He modeled it after the Sacre-Coeur Basilica."

"The building in Montmarte with the three big half onions? Wow… really? At seven years old?"

"Has he never mentioned it? It was one of his proudest moment… until of course some older children came and knocked it over. He was so upset that he didn't say a word for the rest of the day."

_Husband almost never talks about his childhood_. "I thought he hated going to the beach."

"He does? He used to pester us constantly about going to the beach."

"Husband's childhood is a locked diary and Nodame would like the key to find out more."

"He doesn't talk to you about his childhood?"

"Not much..." Nodame averted her eyes._ Almost never..._

* * *

He could hear her unmistakable cackle as he walked through the entrance. _Nodame? Here? Why didn't she return to our room or let me know that she was back? That woman. Really. Just like her to think of her stomach first…_

Somewhere on his way to confronting her, he froze in tracks. That Nodame was not dining alone, he had established from her incessant chatter and raucous laughter but to see that her companion was his own father sent electric shocks all over his body. _Dad chatting in a friendly manner with Nodame? How did that happen? _

It was a moment he had strenuously avoided for the past eighteen years. Despite being He had no intention of having a conversation with his father or even keeping up appearances in public that he and the old man were on speaking terms.

Quickly he mastered his emotions and strode to the table. "What are you doing here, Nodame? You were suppose to meet me upstairs."

"I was?" She looked at him bewildered.

"Shinichi, it's good to see you too." Masayuki Chiaki was a picture of self-possession, which annoyed his son all the more.

"Come on… we need to go…" Shinichi took his wife's arm.

"We do?" Again, she looked confused.

"Only a son of mine would take his wife to a conference on their honeymoon." The father remarked.

"I'm surprised that you remember you have a son." Shinichi did not bother to keep the bitterness out of his voice. "My life is not your concern, remember… mine and my wife's…"

The younger Chiaki pulled his wife away from the table and dragged her off deliberately giving his father the snub. The daughter-in-law waved apologetically to her father-in-law as she detected a sad smile on his lips and reluctantly allowed herself to be towed out of the restaurant.

* * *

"What was that all about?" Nodame looked at her husband indignantly as soon as they reached the confines of their room.

"What were you doing with that person?" Her husband spat angrily.

"That person… is your father, husband."

"You didn't answer my question. What were you…"

"He is my father-in-law… I saw him at the recital… We talked… His fiancée came to see me… She took me to see the old family house to pay your father a long overdue visit… We were having lunch and a nice conversation until you rudely interrupted." She said, matter-of-factly. 

Chiaki made no attempt to hide his displeasure. "You had lunch with him?" _The old man has never ever visited me once in the last eighteen years and he has lunch with my four day old wife after meeting her once? What is he up to?_

"What's wrong with that? Doesn't it meet with your approval?" She asked facetiously.

His anger, however, did not make him wise. "You had no right to…"

She cut him off angrily. "No right? No right?" Nodame was at her belligerent best. "What gives you the right? I am your wife… not your slave. I see whoever I want to." Her arms flailing furiously.

"Not this person."_ Why doesn't she understand how I feel?_

"This is stupid. Grown men behaving like children. Hasn't this gone on long enough, husband? Isn't it about time that the two of you bury the hatchet?"_ Why can't he just bury the past and move on?_

"I don't want to."

"Fine. If you don't want to see him, you don't have to see him. I want to see him."

"Why?"

"Because he is your father… he…"

"So what?"

"He is an important piece of the puzzle…"

"What puzzle?"

"You."

"Me?" The husband felt as if he was having two conversations instead of the one.

"Husband hardly ever talks about his past. What he did as a boy…"

"There's nothing to tell." Chiaki deliberately averted his eyes. "You already know most of it. I spent most of my childhood in music."

"And…?"

"That's it." was his decidedly final answer on the subject. "What's with this sudden obsession with my past anyway?"

"It is not sudden. Nodame has been very busy in the past trying to catch up with Shinichi. But Nodame has always had many questions and Nodame wants answers. If Shinichi won't give them, then _gifu_ will."

Shinichi was astonished at the easy intimacy that had sprung up between Nodame and his father in a short space of time. He found himself swirling in a whirlpool of emotions: bitterness, envy, sadness and rage. In the heat of the moment, he lashed out. "Don't get involved in matters that don't concern you."

As soon as those words escaped his lips, he instantly regretted saying them.

Her eyes turned dull. "So these things don't concern me?" She replied in a quiet but frosty tone of voice. He could just discern an undercurrent of suppressed rage. "It seems that even though we're married, I'm not still important enough to be burdened with family matters." She added coolly.

"That's not what I said." Shinichi protested. "The matter concerns that person and I."

"But not us obviously. You make it sound like it's some regular business transaction."

"Just stay out of it… and stay away from him…"

A strained silence fell over them for some moments before she broke it with a steely comment.

"Don't worry, Chiaki _senpai_, I understand how things really stand. I now realize that I am a wife in name only. All those things we said at the wedding ceremony were just meaningless words to make me believe that something had changed about our relationship." 

Hearing her address him in the old way, stunned Shinichi into the realization that the situation had gone ridiculously out of hand. He knew then he had to forestall the raging bull. "Nodame, it's not like that…"

"Isn't it? To you, I am still just the stupid _hentai _whose music you like. I don't know why you even bothered to marry me. Probably a reward for putting up with your bad temper all these years. The truth is... nothing in our relationship is different to what it was before. Except maybe for the sex." 

"You don't understand…" _Surely she doesn't really believe that?_

"And I never will as long as you keep hiding things from me and treating me like a mushroom."

"Treating you like a mushroom?" exclaimed a bewildered Chiaki.

"Never mind… It doesn't matter. If that's the kind of marriage you want, it's alright with me. You lead, I follow. I will be the simple, dutiful wife as always. No hard questions."

"Nodame… listen to me…" _How can you think that… after all this time?_

"So that you can hide behind words again? Sorry, I'm not interested."

"Why are you doing this?" 

"Chiaki Shinichi, you're more like your father than you think. If you're going to make the same mistakes he did, then perhaps I should prepare myself by spending more time with him learning about them, don't you think?"

Saying that, she stormed out of the room and slammed the door behind her. Chiaki stood motionless for some moments reeling from the after effects of that rather disastrous conversation. That tirade seemed to come from no where. The day had started off well enough for them. Who would have thought that it would come to this? _Why was she so angry with me? During the entire conversation she acted as if it was a personal slight against her._

When he finally came to his senses, he was ready to go after her. That was when the phone in the room rang.

**III**

Chiaki was both frustrated and relieved. Frustrated because the unresolved issues which had now loomed between himself and Nodame were nagging at him. Their first major fight as a married couple had apparently been blown completely out of proportion… during their honeymoon. All the warning signals blaring in his head were telling him that she had slipped out of his grasped… her unceremonious exit told him that much. Tumultuous and confused, his heart was urging him to seek her out but once again he was thwarted by guild duties, namely the matter of the poison pen notes.

On the other hand, that was also reason for him to be relieved. Now that the police had become involved, he no longer bore this burden alone. Privately, he thought it was long overdue and rejoiced at the prospect of the police taking the case over completely. It was more than likely that many of the members would not be happy with this turn of events but at that particular juncture, Chiaki couldn't care less. He was becoming less interested in the petty issues of the guild than the stark possibility that he could lose sight of the woman he loved. During his interview with the police, his mind wandered restlessly to thoughts of her behaviour during their vociferous dialogue – the stinging remarks, the incredible accusations that he had no respect for her. He remembered watching the light disappearing from her eyes almost instantly. Her attitude confounded him. From what he could see, Nodame had been ready to throw the sofa at him. _After all this time, she still has trouble believing that I was sincere in wanting to marry her?_ _For all the right reasons._ _Bringing up all this stuff about the past and throwing it in my face. What was that all about? And why the devil is she taking Dad's side in this? What has he been telling her… probably a whole pack of lies about him being the victim etc etc in all of this._

The inspector noticed that Chiaki's mind had wandered elsewhere and interrupted his chain of thought.

"Mr Chiaki, are you alright?"

"Sorry… you were saying?"

"You seem a bit distracted. Is there something bothering you about this case?"

"My apologies, inspector… my mind was on another matter."

The inspector shot him a penetrating stare. "A personal matter, perhaps?"

"You could say that."

Chiaki volunteered no other information and the inspector did not press him any further.

"I won't take up much more of your time, Mr Chiaki but I'd just like to clear up a few things."

"Of course."

"So you said that Mr Lee came to see you this morning about this particular note."

"Yes, he did."

"What was he like… his behaviour, that is, when he showed it to you?"

"Upset, of course. Agitated mostly."

"In your opinion, was he upset enough to be violent?"

Chiaki gave it some thought. "Possibly… though I think unlikely because they were just married."

"If, however, Ms Son had turned him down…"

"What are you implying?"

"That it would have given this note far more credibility."

"I suppose."

"The note was addressed to both of them… so it was more than a little suggestive that the 'maiden' in this verse was a reference to Ms Son."

"Do you think that there was an element of truth to it, Mr Chiaki?"

"Inspector, as I told Lee, I had nothing beyond a professional relationship with Ms Son. I was already involved with someone else who had recently become my wife."

The inspector noticed the quiver on Chiaki's lips when he said "wife". "Not you but Ms Son. Did she have feelings for you?"

"I… I… don't know."

"But you have your suspicions."

"Her tyrant of a mother seemed to think she did." Chiaki hesitated before saying. "I think she had a very sheltered and lonely life. She certainly didn't have a normal childhood. Her mother basically ran her life. I was the first conductor she performed with that made her feel… relaxed… perhaps she did mistake that for some kind of… er… infatuation."

"Does Lee know this?"

"I'm not sure. I don't know how much she has told him. I think he had his suspicions… he said as much."

"Does your wife know about Ms Son?"

"Oh yes, they met in Paris and were students at the Conservatoire together."

"So you music people seem to have all kinds of connections to one another."

"We're not a big industry… the classical music world… when compared to, say, pop music. So at this professional level, it's very likely that one could easily run into another person who was playing for the Berlin Phil when von Karajan was conducting on one day and meet Adrian Fowler's third wife the next."

"So news, rumours… that sort of thing… gets around rather quickly…"

"I suppose."

"Would it be true then that the same kind of networking exists in the guild."

"Very much so…"

"That's interesting. So then, the questions arising from Mr Drake's drinking and his marriage are not exactly news?"

"Not exactly but the part about Beresford being involved with his wife is."

"I see."

"Inspector, can I ask you something? Not that I'm unhappy that the police have shown an interest in this case, mind you. But what is your interest in all of this? Isn't this kind of thing rather beneath a man of your position? Isn't all this rather petty? Could be just the work of prankster"

"Good question, Mr Chiaki. Unfortunately, it is my job to investigate all kinds of suspicious circumstances as these things have a tendency to escalate when left to themselves. One man's life was in doubt until yesterday."

"You mean, Drake?" Chiaki looked puzzled. "Didn't he have a pre-existing condition?"

"That he didn't know anything about… that nobody knew anything about until yesterday."

"So it was just a coincidence then, right? There was no intent to harm anyone."

"Perhaps not physically. But there was still malicious intent. Mr Drake's drinking problem was an open secret in your guild and so was his wife's indiscretions. He was in a fragile state and someone was taking advantage of it to cause a rift between Drake and Beresford. It seems to be the case with every single one of these notes. To create a situation which thereby results in disarray and discord."

"Why…"

"That, Mr Chiaki is the million dollar question."

* * *

"To be honest, inspector, it isn't difficult for anyone to prey on the existing divisions in the guild, without having to resort to these childish rhymes."

"Oh yes?"

"Tensions in the guild have been running high pretty much in the last decade. Our last election, in particular, was rife with factional conflict."

"Is that right?" The inspector gave Chiaki his full attention. "What happened?"

"The usual things… bruised egos… posturing."

"Specifics please, Mr Chiaki."

Chiaki looked surprised but relented. "To become a member of the Conductor's Guild is a very special privilege… a great honour. It is like being a part of music history and until more recently, it was the zenith of one's career to be accepted. Unfortunately, it does smack of elitism… and exclusivity. There are those who want that changed and those voices have been gaining momentum in the last several years. They are insisting that the guild be less an old boys club and more about education, mentoring and promotion. Justin Lee, for instance, has some interesting ideas about promoting classical music in schools in developing countries. He has been arguing the last three years for more support/funding for this area. Granted, he's an idealist but he has a lot of support and many of his ideas have merit.

"The older guard, on the other hand, are fearful that if they get their way, the prestige of being in the guild will be lost if any Tom, Dick and Harry was allowed in. They're satisfied with the status quo and don't see any need to see the guild expand its mission/portfolio. As far as they're concern, it _is _an old boys club for the _crème de la crème_ of classical music to have drinks or a game of cards together.

Then, I suppose there are the moderates, those who hover some where in between. They think change is necessary but they believe that too much too soon tips the balance.

The irony is, that this entire affair has made the entire guild rally under a common cause, against a common enemy. So if they're trying to further polarize the guild, it's definitely backfired."

The inspector's expression told Chiaki nothing of what he was thinking. "So, where do you stand in all of this?"

"Me? I suppose I'm a moderate… most people see me that way which is why I was seen to be a safe choice for secretary. Plus I'm one of the younger ones and I'm the token non-European. To be honest though, I don't think anyone would have voted for me if I didn't have the backing of Vieira sensei and Herr Stresemann."

"Franz Stresemann?"

"Yeah… I was his apprentice once upon a time."

"Took my wife to see him conduct the Vienna Symphony Orchestra last year. Magnificent concert."

"He's certainly in a class all by himself." Chiaki muttered with more than a tinge of irony.

"You don't sound like you're comfortable with your role in the guild."

"The truth is, I hate politics and there's nothing glamorous about being secretary when half the time the members are splitting hairs over words and bickering over non-essentials. In fact, it's a workhorse's position. I didn't really want to be secretary… at least not yet. I've only been a member of the guild for three years and I was just getting used to the idea of being a member when I got talked into running for this position. Some days I feel like the whipping boy. Can't believe anyone would even want to vie for the position."

"There must be some benefits surely?"

"Well, if there are… I've quickly forgotten them already." Chiaki remarked with some degree of self-mockery. "I suppose there was the initial glow of satisfaction about being the youngest secretary in the guild's history. While the individual is treated like a workhorse, one does command the grudging respect of others for working details behind the scenes and maintaining a face of calm and civility in the face of mass hostility. The person who fills the role has to be seen as being competent."

"So you have no idea why anyone would want to send these verses to anyone?"

"Not a clue… It seems to me all quite pointless."

"I beg to differ, Mr Chiaki, I think they point to something but at this stage it is still a mystery begging to be solved."

* * *

"To be honest, inspector… I would love to wash my hands off this matter and leave them in your capable hands."

"Your help would be invaluable and you would be our eyes and ears within the guild."

"Sounds rather like spying to me."

"Call it what you will, Mr Chiaki. But we are humble policeman… we don't know how things work in your world. Think of it as a preventative measure, if it makes you feel better."

"You really think things will get worse?"

"It's hard to say… but I suspect that we've only seen the tip of the iceberg."

�

* * *

**Author's Notes:**

_I apologize if it seems as if this is turning into a caricature of Days of Our Lives. I never intended for this story to be as short as A Roman Holiday… I certainly hope I didn't give anyone that impression._

_My apologies also to those who expected to see a much more emotional father-son reunion but hey, it's me, right?… You didn't think it was going to be that easy, did you:D After all the neglect the son has suffered over the years, it would be unrealistic for them to reconcile so quickly and of course I just love putting Chiaki through the emotional wringer. (diabolical laughter) And well, I am so not done yet. ;)  
_

_The expression "treating someone like a mushroom" will hopefully be a familiar one to my readers. But just in case you were wondering… it means to "keep someone in the dark and feed them bucket loads of bovine excrement". Where in the world Nodame picked up such an expression remains a topic of much speculation. _


	10. Chapter 9

Chapter 9

_Let not my __love__ be call'd idolatry,_

_Nor my __beloved__ as an idol show,_

_Since all alike __my songs__ and __praises__ be_

_To one, of one, still such, and ever so._

_Kind__ is my __love__ to-day, to-morrow __kind_

_Still constant in a wondrous excellence;_

_Therefore my verse to constancy confined,_

_One thing expressing, leaves out difference._

_'Fair, __kind__ and true' is all my argument,_

_'Fair__,kind__, and true' varying to other words;_

_And in this change is my invention spent,_

_Three themes in one, which wondrous scope affords._

_'Fair, __kind__, and true,' have often lived alone,_

_Which three till now never kept seat in one._

_('Sonnet 105', William Shakespeare)_

**I**

She was glad to basking in some fresh air while staring aimlessly out into the cityscape. The rooftop pool area of the hotel served as an unusual refuge while foreshadowing the onset of bad weather. The hustle and bustle of the central business district mirrored her own internal rumblings. It wasn't as if she had naively expected him to be jubilant over seeing his own father again. That, she knew, was always going to be a hard mountain to scale. But for him to callously brush her wants aside, struck a nerve that she didn't even know existed. So much so that Nodame herself was surprised at the extent of her wrath. It wasn't the first time, he had been brusque with her in all their years together and yet… there was something about this incident that vexed even her otherwise affable nature.

Nodame had striven to be the dutiful wife these past 8 years. She had worked hard to prove her worthiness to stand alongside the great Chiaki Shinichi, hadn't she? Yet there was a lingering uncertainty hanging over her whispering doubts in her ear that she would never be quite the wife for him. No matter what she did, or how many competitions she'd win, she would never be his equal. It had never troubled her before… she had always been loyally proud of him. But now that they were really husband and wife, she yearned to be much more than an ornament hanging off his arm or the sideshow to the main event. She knew what people thought about her behind her back… or what the gossip mongers said about her, not being in his class. The truth was, while it hadn't bothered her much in the past, she could help but harbour a sneaking suspicion that underneath all his professions of devotion, he actually felt the same way. Why else wouldn't he let her get close to his past? Didn't he trust her? Wasn't she important enough for him to share his innermost thoughts? Perhaps she had been rather naïve in believing that somehow marriage would magically change the terms in which they related to one another. She had tried hadn't she… taken both Milch and Vieira _sensei_'s advice… tried to be a _real_ wife, looked out for his interests and tried to help him deal with his past, only to be spurned for her efforts. Besides, his father was a different man to what his son had remembered him to be and like everyone else, deserved a second chance.

It was then she noticed that the tears had stopped falling, the residue of which had dried up on her cheeks. She felt a wave of tiredness wash past her… utterly worn down by the day's events. What was she, one woman, to do on her own? It was hard to believe that so much had happened in one day. Her time in Vienna was turning out to be far more eventful… much more challenging than she had anticipated.

"A penny for your thoughts, my dear." A voice that matched her own tiredness caused her to jump to attention.

It was the ubiquitous James Beresford who had somehow managed to get her alone yet again.

"Eh… James? What are you doing here?" She asked, clearly startled by his sudden appearance from nowhere.

"I could ask you the same thing." _She's been crying. Wonder what about?_

"Nothing special." She responded nonchalantly. "What about you?"

"I came here to think."

James Beresford certainly did not look his usual urbane self. His hair and face bore the appearance of a man who craved rest.

"Is everything alright?" Nodame looked concerned.

Beresford did nor respond immediately. Staring bleakly into the clear blue sky around him, he murmured to himself.

" '_Things base and vile, folding no quantity,  
Love can transpose to form and dignity:  
Love looks not with the eyes, but with the mind;  
And therefore is wing'd Cupid painted blind:  
Nor hath Love's mind of any judgement taste;  
Wings and no eyes figure unheedy haste:  
And therefore is Love said to be a child,  
Because in choice he is so oft beguiled.'" (1)_

"Huh?" Nodame looked at Beresford with the wide-eyed curiosity of a child.

"It's Shakespeare, my dear. I'm sorry, I was thinking about a friend."

"Your friend?"

"He almost died yesterday."

"Really… I'm sorry…" Nodame was at a loss for words. This was not Beresford the predator she had come to be leery of. This unexpected side to him was almost human.

"He was a fool. A complete and utter fool."

"Was he?"

"Yet, I envy him." He continued as if he had not heard Nodame.

"You do?"

"He, at least, gave himself over to love. That takes a certain kind of courage. Foolish perhaps but enviable in some farcical way." Saying that, he turned to give his attention to Nodame. "You've been crying." He said matter-of-factly.

"Just a bit of dust that got into my eye." Nodame stared down at the concrete below her feet to avoid his piercing gaze.

"Is it now?

_'Would it not grieve a woman to be overmastered with a piece of valiant dust? to make an account of her life to a clod of wayward marl?' (2)  
_

_I wonder who's the fool in this play… the wife or the husband?_ He lifted her chin to face him. "Men are fools, Nodame. The sooner you realize that, the better. They are nothing without women… don't you let the husband of yours tell you otherwise."

Beresford withdrew his fingers from under her chin and walked away abruptly, leaving Nodame to meditate alone on that unexpected piece of wisdom.

* * *

"So what are we going to do, Justin?" His hapless bride looked at him helplessly.

"Is there anything to do? She can't do anything to us. This is the twenty-first century. We're both adults."

"She could make life difficult for you."

"Perhaps but I don't mind… as long as…" He hesitated.

"As long as what?"

"As long as you are happy. As long as you have no regrets being with me. I can put up with ten of your mother."

"Why do you keep talking about that? Of course I have no regrets!" She promptly wiped her eyes to prove the point. "It's just that… I don't want to put you in a difficult position. You know what mama can be like."

"Not a chance. I'm the resident provocateur remember? Half the guild groans in protest when I get up to speak. I'm used to being in these kinds of awkward situations."

"Justin… I don't know what I did to deserve you."

He gave her hand a gentle squeeze. "Just by being your adorable self. Now, I don't want you to fret over this. I'll think of something to smooth things over with your mother. Stay here, order room service if you need to and I'll be back after the meeting. Apparently a lot has happened in the last twenty four hours and I probably should attend this meeting."

"Don't worry about me, Justin. I'll be fine." She made an attempt to reassure him.

"I know. I'll take you somewhere nice for lunch so don't eat too much."

"I'm counting on it."

The young conductor leaned over and gave his eager new wife, who was now suitably consoled, a peck on her forehead and made for the door.

* * *

Sprawled stomach down on the bed, Nodame was going through some of the music when her phone sounded.

"Are you alright, Nodame?" Her father-in-law's voice on the other side of the line revealed his uneasiness.

"Yeah, I'm fine. I'm sorry about lunch, _gifu_. For leaving so suddenly." She mumbled apologetically.

"It's quite alright… Not entirely unexpected. I would've been more surprised if he hadn't been angry. I am sorry though…"

"Why?"

"I've made things difficult for you."

"For me? No… not at all."

"He can't have been too happy with you."

"Don't worry about that. I can handle his bad temper. I've had lots of practice."

_I'm sure you have._ "I'm also sorry that we didn't get to finish our conversation."

"Me too."

"Another time, perhaps?"

"Definitely, _gifu_… I'm thinking that when I get back to Paris, I'll send you some photos of us… of the wedding too. Your collection seems rather… incomplete."

"You're right, it is incomplete. I have… so much… catching up to do."

"You sure do."

"Thanks to you, Nodame. I'll at least be able to find out what I've been missing."

It was then Nodame heard some fumbling at the door, lowered the volume of her voice and spoke with some degree of urgency..

"_Gifu_, I hate to break this off but I think he's back."

"I understand. Thank you, Nodame. It's been a pleasure."

"Take care of yourself, _gifu_."

"You do the same, Nodame."

* * *

Chiaki walked through the door, bracing himself for another fiery tirade. But to his great surprise, it did not come. Instead, he was greeted by a seemingly subdued wife, who had apparently been pouring over her scores in preparation for the next recital.

"Back already, husband?" She looked up and promptly filed away her scores under the bed.

"Yes… everything finished early." _She seems to have calmed down._

"Would you like to have a bath now?"

"Er… not right away…"

"Well, if that's the case, I think I'll have my bath now."

"Nodame… I… erm… before you do that, can we talk?"

"What about?"

"About earlier… I didn't get a chance to explain myself."

"I thought you made your feelings very clear."

"I don't want you to get the wrong idea."

"It seems to me rather simple. You don't want me to have anything to do with your father."

"Well, yes…"

"You don't want me to ask you any questions about your childhood because asking about your childhood means that you will have to talk about your father."

"Well, I… er… suppose…" _Why couldn't this woman be this calm and level-headed before?_

"Fine, as I said, 'simple'. I won't ask about your childhood again. Now can I have my bath? Nodame can't be expected to play the dutiful wife if she doesn't smell or look the part."

Before he could say another word, she bowed ceremoniously like the dutiful wife that she claimed to be and ambled off to the bathroom in a similar fashion. After that brief exchange any victory he had seemingly gained felt painfully hollow. Clearly, she had no interest in revisiting the subject and while he should have been elated that she had come round so easily, he felt utterly deflated. Her unnaturally placid demeanour, for one, was not encouraging. Nodame was not being Nodame and it bothered him greatly. Worse still, he had a terrible feeling that there was something he was missing and that he was most likely in bigger trouble than he had originally thought he was.

He fell into the bed and lamented at the state of affairs between Nodame and himself. Did that meeting with his father change her mind that much? He wondered at what grossly pathetic tale of woe his father had concocted to gain her sympathy. He just couldn't understand it. Was he being unreasonable? Surely she didn't expect him to fall in with more of her delusions… of being a happily reunited family, pretending that nothing of the past had happened?

Chiaki was astonished… although not entirely… at how quickly his father had taken to Nodame. Still, he knew better than anyone that sooner or later, those who came in contact with her would fall in love with her beguiling oddness. Unlike him, she saw no need in wearing masks… the world saw her as she was and when she made music it was much the same. She wore herself… mind, body, heart… on her sleeve… with reckless abandon.

The dutiful wife act was an aberration whose rationale escaped him. It was a mask that concealed a suppressed rage. A mask that was threatening to turn into a wall.

**II**

She was dressed simply in a sleeveless, black, silk dress with a mandarin collar. It was the latest in a long line of projects her seamstress aspirant mother had undertaken. The dress gave her an air of quiet elegance which seem to cancel out her childlike mannerisms as she donned it. Before his eyes, she turned into a creature of sophistication, a spectacle which marveled and disquieted him. She looked lovely… beautiful almost but her eyes contained a faraway look that told of unspoken moodiness. For the first time, in a very long time Chiaki felt excluded… like a passing stranger to her thoughts and emotional state of mind.

"You look… lovely… Nodame. The dress fits you well."

"Really? I wasn't sure… if I should…" She brightened momentarily. "I'm glad you like it, husband."

"I do. But you didn't have to go to all this trouble. It's only a simple dinner."

"It wasn't any trouble… I just want to give a good impression."

"You will."

She rewarded him with a smile which barely reached her eyes. He noticed it and interpreted it as reluctance.

"You know, Nodame, we don't have to do this… if you don't want to. I could ring…"

"No. That would be rude. Cancelling at the last minute." She cut him off quickly. "Of course, we're going. It would be nice to meet your president. I don't know anyone from the guild except Milch and Vieira sensei. And James, of course."

"James?"

"James… the British conductor. What did Milch call him? Hmmm… Bearous… Bearford."

"Beresford?"

"Yup… that's him. Very interesting man. Talks like Shakespeare when he's in a melancholic mood."

_That womanizing scoundrel. Has he been making moves on her?_ "How did you meet him?" Chiaki asked with calculated indifference.

"Oh… at breakfast yesterday. Very friendly. He came to my recital too."

Chiaki dug his hands deep into his pocket and clenched them into fists. "He did?" _It didn't take him too long._

"Uh huh… But don't worry… I came back with Milch even though he offered to take me back to the hotel."

"He did?"

"Milch doesn't like him much. Called him a predator."

_Can't say I disagree with the old man but still… pot calling kettle black really._

"But there is something very sad about him. In some ways, he reminds me of _gifu_…" She remarked wistfully. "It must be a very lonely life to be a predator when everybody thinks the worst of you and nobody trusts you."

"I suppose."

"I feel sorry for him." She acknowledged. "But at least he has one useful skill besides conducting…"

"Oh, what's that?"

"He, at least, understands women."

* * *

During the entire meal, Chiaki looked on as Nodame giggled, laughed and made all the right noises. She held her cutlery gracefully and nibbled at her food with finesse, her table manners flawless. It was a controlled and masterly performance that pulled the wool over the eyes of anyone who did not know better. Chiaki knew better and loathed every moment of it. This wasn't the woman he fell in love with and married. Why she was bent on play acting, she did not know. Weiss, on the other hand, was appropriately wooed by her mannerisms.

"You didn't tell me that your wife was such a charming creature, Chiaki." He said, when Nodame had disappeared into the restroom for a short interval.

"Er… thank you. It's kind of you to say so."

"No wonder you couldn't bear to leave her behind."

"Well…"

"Don't be shy, man… There's nothing wrong with a man who is firmly attached to his wife. I envy you as a matter of fact."

"Huh?"

"There's no hope for me… I'm a confirmed bachelor. It's not all bad, you know. No one to have to answer to." Weiss grinned widely.

"Yes, I can imagine." Chiaki commented politely. "Still, Nodame and I have been together a long time… it's hard to imagine not having her around."

"Oh, I'm sure… You know, you surprise me, Chiaki."

"In what way?"

"You seemed to me to be the ambitious type… nothing wrong with that of course. And here you are confessing to me how devoted you are to your wife."

"Can a man not have ambitions and be a devoted husband?"

"I suppose there is no rule against it. But in my experience, few men are able to achieve that balance."

"I hope I can prove you wrong."

"By all means… Here she comes… Such an intriguing creature. I can see why you went for her, Chiaki. She's something of an enigma, it would appear."

Chiaki was astonished. Weiss was a lot more perceptive than Chiaki had given him credit for being. _Interesting that he sees it too._

"Ah, my dear… I've been having a nice chat with your husband while you were busy."

"Were you talking about me?"

"In a manner of speaking…"

"I hope you said only good things."

Weiss burst into a hearty laugh. "Of course, my dear… of course."

* * *

Later in the evening, Ivan Chekhov, the retired Russian composer, joined them for a short time.

"I've asked Ivan to join us, if that's alright with you two."

Both Chiaki and Nodame assured him that they were fine with the arrangement.

Chekhov looked rather worn out. "I'm sorry can't stay long. I'm getting updates on my wife's condition."

"Is she alright?" Nodame asked anxiously.

"She had a fall this morning."

"Oh no… was she badly hurt?"

"Not too badly. Thank goodness."

"Is she in hospital?"

"Not exactly. She's being cared for at a nursing home."

"I see."

"I shouldn't have left her."

"You need a break too. You spend all your time caring for her in that place."

"Not as much as I used to."

"That's nothing for you to feel guilty about. You did all you could for as long as you could."

"That's what I tell myself but…"

"You retired… gave up everything to care for her. No one could ask for more than that. Now, eat something. You're no good to anyone half starved."

Chekhov drank a little soup and nibbled on some bread. After indulging in a little small talk, his phone rang and he excused himself. It had been obvious, however, that his mind was elsewhere.

"I need to get this. I apologize for not being great company tonight."

"It's okay Mr Chekhov, we understand." Nodame patted him reassuringly on the arm. "Hope everything's alright."

Chekhov nodded gratefully and hurried out of the restaurant.

When he had taken off, Weiss turned to them and said. "I've known him a long time. He's the most devoted husband I've ever met. Not quite sixty and he had to give up a really good position the Bohemia Philharmonia to care for his wife."

"What happened to her?"

"She was struck by Alzheimer's a few years ago and has really deteriorated in the last 12 months. He had to put her into full-time nursing care several months ago and that was hard."

"Oh… the poor woman," Nodame gasped.

"Actually, it's poor Chekhov… watching his wife of over thirty years become a shadow of herself. Not something I'd wish on anyone. But he's devoted, the poor man. He hasn't been anywhere for the last few years. We managed to convince him to come to this year's conference although he's probably racked with guilt right about now."

"I had no idea." Chiaki murmured.

"The man's a saint. No complaints. A lesser man would have given up a long time ago."

"It's beautiful." Nodame gushed dreamily. "Very romantic."

Weiss stared at her with an inscrutable expression on his face. "I suppose it is."

* * *

After dinner, the restaurant manager came over to their table and showed a great deal of familiarity with Weiss.

"So how did you like the dinner, Herr Weiss?" The restaurant manager was all smiles and anxiously awaiting the verdict.

"As far as I'm concerned, it was marvellous as usual, Hans."

"Excellent. And you, Mr Chiaki?"

"The steak was very well-done. Thank you. I enjoyed it very much."

"I'm glad to hear it. And the lady?"

"Huh… Oh… the lady loved the black forest cake… It's the best I've ever tasted."

"Seeing that Herr Weiss is a relative and regular customer I can tell you this. It is an old family recipe."

"It's food from heaven." Nodame lowered her voice to a whisper, speaking into his ear. "I may come back for another large slice another time."

"Miss…?"

"Nodame."

The restaurant manager was beaming with pleasure. "Miss Nodame is welcomed to dine with us any time."

For the first time that night, Nodame's face lit up into a genuinely contented smile. "I knew there was a reason why I liked this hotel… what a great restaurant."

Weiss signed for the bill and jovially said to Nodame. "I think you've made a new friend tonight."

"Really?" She wondered thoughtfully before adding, "Hmmm… does that mean the next slice will be free?"

That particular question elicited a roar of unrestrained laughter from the Austrian conductor.

* * *

Both Nodame and Chiaki were very quiet as they left the restaurant. They had both thanked the president of the guild for his generosity and he had expressed his delight at having spent a pleasant evening in their company.

"I look forward to hearing you play, Nodame." He had said cordially before going off in the opposite direction.

The young couple said very little to each other as they made their way to their room. The wife was deep in thought and looked as if she would respond well to interruption and the husband felt as if an invisible barrier had come between them and was nervous that anything he said would trigger another verbal furore. Musing over Chekhov's situation caused him to bring into focus his own responsibilities as a husband. It made him wonder if he could do what Chekhov was doing… to abandon his career for the full-time care of his wife. Inwardly, he was frustrated and saddened by how things were between them. She had acquiesced readily enough to his demands… surprisingly easily… and yet it came at a high price. Obviously she was unhappy and Chiaki didn't know if he liked this "dutiful" wife all that much.

"Nodame… Did you have a nice time?" He ventured to ask as they walked into the room.

"I did, husband… didn't you?"

"Yes, I did."

After this, they said little to one another. Nodame changed out of her dress into an old flannel pyjamas and took out her scores. She settled herself on the couch, apparently giving her complete attention to them.

"What… er… are you doing?" Chiaki asked dumbfounded.

"I'm preparing for my recital tomorrow." She said without looking up.

"Do you need help?"

"No, no… I'm fine." Nodame seemed intent on her music.

Silence reigned for minutes while Chiaki looked on feeling as useful as a spare tyre.

"I think I might go for a walk."

"Sure, husband… go ahead. Don't worry about me." She waved him on all too eagerly.

Chiaki's face fell. "Er… are you sure you wouldn't like to come with me?"

"Sorry, no. I really should review these scores before tomorrow. You go ahead, I'll be fine."

_But I'm not fine._ Chiaki sighed and sluggishly made his way to the door. He turned around for one last look, hoping that she'd change her mind. Seemingly engrossed in what she was doing, she gave no indication that she was changing anything.

Chiaki experienced a whole host of emotions. It never occurred to him that he would be feeling lonely on his honeymoon and yet there he was… alone. The hotel bar seemed like a good source of refuge for the disappointed of heart and yet the thought of any of his fellow conductors catching him drinking alone on his honeymoon was too humiliating to contemplate.

_All because I didn't want her to see Dad… She's still mad at me, pretending that she isn't and putting on this dutiful wife act. How long is she going to punish me?_

Instead, he took a stroll to a nearby liquor store and satisfied himself with two bottles of white merlot to drown whatever frustrations that were building up inside.

On returning to the hotel room, he saw that she had turned in for the night.

_Bedtime at 9:30? She's on the warpath tonight. Maybe I should've stocked up on the merlot.._

Not bothering to undress, he stretched himself onto the bed next to her. She shifted briefly and then mumbled something inaudible.

"Nodame… are awake?" He whispered hopefully. The petite figure next to him moved as if on cue but gave no response.

"You're still angry with me, aren't you?"

Again Chiaki had to contend with the silence.

"Nodame… we can't go on like this. We need to talk."

After another short burst of silence, he heard a quivering murmur "I'm trying to sleep. I don't want to talk now."

"You can't continue ignoring me like this."

"Nodame is not ignoring you. Nodame's done everything you wanted."

"Everything except what I really want." Chiaki reached over to fondle her hair. "I want my wife back."

"I'm still here."

"In body maybe but not in spirit. It's like I've married another woman… dutiful, perhaps but joyless."

"I thought you wanted me to do what you asked."

"Well, yes… but not like that… You're my wife not my slave."

"That was my line."

"Yeah, well, I thought I'd borrow it seeing that we're now on speaking terms."

"We're not on speaking terms. It's... just... bad manners not to respond."

"Is that what it is? Well, seeing that you're responding now…"

"Am I?"

"Let's for argument's sake pretend that you are. Why do you think that I want you to be a 'dutiful' wife? I never said anything of the sort."

"You want a wife that will do everything you say."

"I didn't say that either."

"Not in those words… but you don't want me to ask questions about your childhood or your father."

"Well…"

"But I want to know about those things. I care about Shinichi's childhood and secret thoughts but he doesn't respect me enough to tell me about them."

"I didn't say that."

"You didn't have to. I know it. You don't trust me with your heart even now. If you can't trust me then our marriage is just a hollow symbol of love."

"I never meant to insult you."

"But you did. You don't want me to be a real wife… I'm just someone you can take with to nice functions."

"After all this time, you really don't believe that."

"Maybe I do, maybe I don't. But I feel that. You do everything better than what I can… you cook better, you're a better housekeeper so what can I do for you? Nothing except to share your problems with. But you don't want that so Nodame can't do anything for you except be a dutiful wife, to do everything husband tells her to."

"But you don't have to do anything."

"I want to. You don't understand love, husband… that's your trouble. When people love, they want to give… I want to give… One way to do that is to help you to be free from the monster from the past."

"The monster from the past?" Chiaki wondered if his _hentai_ wife had lapsed into one of her _hentai_ fits.

"Yes… the thing that has kept you from talking to your father."

"This has nothing to do with my father."

"This has everything to do with your father. If you don't want me to know anything about the past – your father, your childhood, then it will always be something between us. The unspeakable thing that will grow into a bigger monster and destroy what little love we have."

Chiaki had to admit to himself that his _hentai_ wife was making an unbelievable amount of sense. That she would was thinking that far ahead in the future astounded him.

"Don't you have faith in me, Nodame?"'

"The problem is that _you_ don't have faith in _me_." She declared. "Anyway, I don't want to say any more about this, I think have said enough. I am tired and I have a recital to give tomorrow afternoon."

Nodame turned to face the opposite end of the room and pulled the covers over her shoulders. Her husband was still attempting to process the entire conversation amidst the restlessness of his thoughts. _Is it true, that I don't have faith in her? But I chose to marry her… I wanted us to be together… What else does she want from me?_

Her words echoed repeatedly

_If you don't want me to know anything about the past – your father, your childhood, then it will always be something between us. The unspeakable thing that will grow into a bigger monster and destroy what little love we have._

"I didn't mean to exclude you from any part of my life."

"Hmmm…"

"I never realised you felt that strongly about this."

"You never asked."

Chiaki moved up closer against his wife and breathed in the scent of her hair. "You know Nodame, I am going to try to get to your recital tomorrow. I may be a little late though."

"I've told you already… you don't have to."

"I know… but I want to."

"It doesn't mean… that… we're on… talking terms." The words were barely coming through as Nodame struggled to stay awake.

"Of course not… I'm not that silly." Chiaki assured her as he wrapped his arms around her person and buried his face inside her hair.

* * *

**Author's Notes:**

Quote 1: _Midsummer Night's Dream_, Act 1, Scene 1

Quote 2: _Much Ado About Nothing_, Act 2, Scene 1


	11. Chapter 10: Day Three

_Ugh... I went through the chapter again and made a number of corrections. That'll teach me for posting hastily._

**Chapter 10: Day Three**

_W__HEN you are old and gray and full of sleep_

_And nodding by the fire, take down this book,_

_And slowly read, and dream of the soft look_

_Your eyes had once, and of their shadows deep;_

_How many loved your moments of glad grace,_

_And loved your beauty with love false or true;_

_But one man loved the pilgrim soul in you,_

_And loved the sorrows of your changing face._

_And bending down beside the glowing bars,_

_Murmur, a little sadly, how love fled_

_ And paced upon the mountains overhead,_

_And hid his face amid a crowd of stars._

_ (William Butler Yeats)  
_

**I**

Away from his wife, Justin Lee did not feel the same amount of confidence that he had led her to believe he possessed. The dragon lady was not someone he took lightly and now that he had, as it were, taken her daughter from under her nose, well, there was definitely going to be hell to pay. Provocateur though he was, he was no fool. Eloping had been one of his more radical ideas and one that now had him pitted against a formidable foe. In many ways, he was an oriental boy at heart… and he hated the thought that his mother-in-law did not exactly approve of him or his ideas of marriage.

Despite appearances to the contrary, Justin Lee was a man who had his fair share of insecurities. There were still some unanswered questions lingering in his mind regarding Rui's interest in Chiaki. But he pushed those aside to meet a much more pressing matter… how was one to appease the dragon lady's wrath.

He was known to be a man of ideas… and yet now, when he needed inspiration urgently, he felt himself fumbling desperately in the dark.

* * *

In the mean time, the dragon lady was temporarily tucked safely away in her unnecessarily large suite at the Hyatt. She was in danger of wearing out the carpet… pacing up and down in her room, twisting the straps on her handbag in an agitated manner. Matters had certainly spiraled out of control and out of her hands. And for the first time in her life, Mei Wang Son felt hapless.

Rui had always been such compliant and sensible child her entire life. It was hard to believe she had allow herself to be complicit in an elopement and with that underachieving Justin Lee to boot. She hadn't minded Rui's persistent infatuation with Chiaki… He at least had potential and would go far but that firebrand from Taiwan was nothing and would go no where… and as a concerned parent, she thought that her daughter deserved better. Much better.

She had only always wanted the best for her beloved Rui… at least she convinced herself of it. What parent didn't? Since Rui turned professional at the age of 10, they had seen one success after another. Many would say that she had done right by her daughter nurturing her talent and committing herself to her long-term success.

Now to be rewarded with this ultimate act of ingratitude… betrayal… was a stab to the heart. _How sharper than a serpent's tooth…_ Mother and daughter had shared much more than success together… both had made sacrifices for Rui's craft. The daughter, impressionable, accepted that she had a special gift from heaven, gave up normality at a young age… an isolated yet public life away from her peers. In exchange, she would see the world and rub shoulders with the greats of the classical music world. Her mother set aside her own ambitions, instead pouring her heart and soul into moulding her prodigious daughter. In exchange, the world would see her as the mother of a great musical talent. She told herself, over and over again that to be able to stand alongside her only daughter, overflowing with maternal pride was her greatest reward. It seemed like an unbreakable bond… an unspoken promise to stay together forever as a seemingly unbreakable team. And now an upstart had come between them in this impetuous manner was more than the mother could bear.

It was, of course, easier to blame the conducting upstart… for Mei Rui to believe that her daughter was responsible for her own choices was too devastating… and heartbreaking. All of which spelt abandonment.

**II**

The irony of marriage for Chiaki and Nodame was that while he expected nothing would change between them, she was adamant that change would be an inevitable consequence of a rite of passage. He had expected that things would go on the way it had always. He had been prepared to continue being the dutiful, caretaking husband… a role that he had carved for himself all those years ago and had settled into with complete equanimity. He married the _hentai_ knowing full well what he was in for but he was past caring about her strangeness. Picking up after her, feeding her and being embarrassed by her idiosyncrasies were part of the deal. To his mind, they were a small price to pay to hear her play… to have her by his side for as long as he could. He didn't need much from her… her companionship was more than enough for him. Years later, it had finally penetrated his music addled skull that he wasn't exactly an easy person to live with and she somehow managed to see past his perfectionist streak and not be intimidated by it. There were times he was surprised that she understood him as well as she did… amazed on the odd occasion that she knew him better than he knew himself.

_Companionship, _it seemed to him was a rather banal word to describe what they had. Nevertheless, it was a simpler word than the other one. Despite everything that happened in Rome, Chiaki was still painfully uncomfortable with the "L" word… He knew that he did "love" her but it was uncommonly hard for him to utter it in a manner that was befitting an affectionate husband.

_Affectionate._ An adjective that did not sit well with Chiaki's personality. Fortunately for the both of them, she seemed not to be bothered by it. But still, he had his moments. Moments in which he would shed his stoicism and let loose something of that hidden ardour.

_Ardour._ No one would know looking at him that he was capable of it outside of music. Whatever he had to offer, it was hers and hers alone to bask in. He gave her one last lingering look before heading off. He had so wanted to ply her with kisses but was loathe to wake her. _I should let her sleep longer… she had such a long day yesterday and it won't be that much better today. _

Chiaki wrestled with the contradictions that battled inside him. That woman whose companionship he valued above all else was once again pushing him in a different direction. As things stood between them, she was insistent, angry and lovable. But most of all, she was now his wife. It was a thought that both terrified and cheered him as he reluctantly walked out of that room door.

* * *

"Chekhov, is everything alright?" Chiaki saw the glum look on the Russian conductor's face and was quick to show concern. The two men were engaged in personable conversation while waiting for the day's proceedings to begin. It was gradually becoming more obvious to Chiaki that until the recent crisis, he knew very little about any of the other conductors that he was supposed to be representing. Was the guild (as claimed by its detractors) really just an irrelevant institution, a glorified gentlemen's club with charitable pretentions?

"As well as can be expected." Chekhov commented as he sank into the seat beside Chiaki. "They've had to confine her to the bed and she has been strenuously resisting every attempt to keep her there."

"It can't be too easy for you, being over here, waiting for updates and wondering how she is."

"You know what's really hard, Chiaki? It's not that I have to care for her 24/7. That I would gladly do for the rest of my life. No, it isn't that. It's watching a beautiful, vital woman turn into a shell of her former self… watching her slide gradually into oblivion."

"I can't imagine what that's like."

"Nothing prepares you for it. All the things she loved… books, music, her kitchenware are now just empty tokens of what was once a lively mind and caring spirit. Things we shared in our married life are just a jumbled puzzle with numerous missing pieces strewn in the recesses of her degenerating brain."

Chiaki remained silent. There was nothing to say. Here he was, newly married and yet struggling to keep it together in his first week. Something like Alzheimer's was not in their league.

Nonetheless, Chekhov seemed eager to talk, perhaps grateful for a sympathetic ear. "Still, I have no regrets, we had a good thirty years together. I suppose I'm greedy to have wanted more. One never ever thinks about it coming to an end so soon. She was my greatest support throughout my career… Perhaps I could have done it without her but it wouldn't have been half as rich or as fun."

"I hope I can say the same when the time comes."

"I envy you, Chiaki. You're just beginning your journey with the woman you love. It's an exciting time. I wish I could re-live it all again."

"Exciting?" Chiaki thought about the previous evening and allowed a trace of a smile to pass his lips. "I suppose it is."

"You don't seem convinced." Chekhov looked faintly amused.

"It's just that… life with Nodame is always exciting." Chiaki confessed with a tinge of irony. _Too exciting… one never knows with her what's turning those wheels in her brain._

"You make it sound like it's a bad thing."

"Not always. But after all these years of us being together, there are still aspects of her I have not unraveled. In that regard, I find her unpredictable."

"But obviously you are not a man who avoids unpredictability."

"Why do you say that?"

"To have given yourself over to such a woman, you must find unpredictability something of an attractive quality."

"I must confess, I have never thought about it that way."

"Haven't you?" Chekhov flashed him a broad grin. "And here am I thinking that you're an intelligent man."

"You don't know Nodame… She is capable of confounding Einstein himself."

"Now, why doesn't that surprise me…"

* * *

Chiaki found himself entranced by Chekhov. Never had he known the man so talkative and on this occasion he was very fluent.

"The truth is we tumble into marriage without knowing what the future holds. That unknown factor is both the biggest attraction and the most unnerving aspect of the entire game."

"A game? You perceive marriage as a game?"

"Not generally." Chekhov's smile broadened yet again. "But you have to admit… it's something of a gamble at times. The odds could turn against you at any time."

"So it's down to luck, then?"

"There is an element of that."

"So all that pious wisdom that the experts say about marriage being about hard work is a lie then?"

"Not entirely." A look of mischief flashed in Chekhov's eyes which then turned somewhat serious. "Not at all… it is true but they don't tell you of course that it is quite often the women who work the hardest."

Chiaki was about to make a sceptical comment but thought better of it. Instead he tried a different tack.

"Weiss informed me last night that it's impossible to have a successful career and an equally successful marriage simultaneously. He seemed rather sure of it."

"Weiss suffers from more than just a little conjugal envy." Chekhov responded with a wry smile.

"He gave me the impression last night that he was content being single."

"I think generally he is reasonably content… but I'm sure he wonders like everyone else how the other side lives."

_I don't want to._ Chiaki thought to himself. "I get the feeling that there's a lot more to Weiss than most people give him credit for."

Chekhov nodded. "Almost everyone underestimates him. I know him better than most and even I suspect that there are things about him that he has kept carefully hidden. It doesn't bother me really. Everyone has their secrets… it doesn't, however, necessarily make them villains…"

"By the way, speaking of Weiss, where is he?"

"Didn't he tell you?"

"Tell me what?"

"That he wasn't coming… a stomach bug or some such thing…"

"Really?" Chiaki was taken aback. "Strange. He didn't mention anything to me. Can't be anything he ate last night, can it? " Chiaki racked his brains trying to recall what was served the previous night.

"I don't know. He called to ask me how my wife was doing and then told me that he'd been making trips to the bathroom all night."

"I'm sure he didn't call this morning and I'm sure he didn't leave any messages either. Unbelievable." Chiaki shook his head. "This year's conference is turning into a farce."

"You don't think our president is playing truant, do you?" Chekhov asked pointedly.

"If he is, well… I can't say I blame him for trying." moaned a dejected looking Chiaki. "I only wish I had thought of it myself."

* * *

Her eyelashes flickered momentarily. Mrs Chiaki Shinichi opened her eyes and immediately noticed that her bedfellow was no where in sight. The only sign that he had been there were the clothes he had worn the night before, strewn all over the end of the bed. She wondered if he had left in haste or… perhaps in frustration or better still, reluctance. It gave her a perverse sense of pleasure to know that even after the wedding she was still capable of turning his well-ordered existence into disarray.

Nodame made some effort to glance at the timepiece beside her and made some noises affecting surprise. She had still managed to sleep in, in spite of turning in early the previous night. Allowing herself a brief moment to yawn and stretch, she jumped out of bed, raring for a bite of breakfast. Her priorities were clear… her stomach was yearning for food and Nodame was not one to shirk her obligations especially when duty was clamouring for her undivided attention.

In an instant, she undressed out of her bedclothes and into a turtle neck top and pleated skirt. As she swung her favourite tote over her shoulder, she determined before arriving at her destination, that on her third day at the conductor's conference that she would enjoy breakfast uninterrupted.

**III**

"Justin… is everything alright?"

The other newly weds in another part of the hotel were finishing their breakfast with their beverage of choice. They had said little to one another during the meal and Justin appeared to be preoccupied.

"Everything's fine. Why?" He looked up momentarily to give his wife a smile and then proceeded to adjust his tie nervously.

"You're very quiet."

"Am I?"

"Uh… huh… Too quiet." Justin's young wife shot him a penetrating stare. "It's about mum, isn't it?"

"What makes you think that?"

"It's that familiar nervous, edgy look that she seems to inspire in almost everyone."

"Is it that obvious?"

"Well, to me it is. Besides you talk in your sleep." Rui took hold of her husband's hand reassuringly. "You don't have to worry about her, you know. I'm old enough to make up my mind… and I'm not about to let her change my mind."

"I know. It's not that so much. I just didn't think about how difficult things would be for you… for us doing what we did. My timing seems to be off lately." Justin made a feeble attempt at a joke.

"It's one of those things I like about you, once you put your mind to something, you go for it."

"Some might call it impetuous." _And they have._

"They might but they're probably just jealous that they don't have the guts to stand up for what they believe in."

"And I do?"

"In spades."

"And you think it's courage that is the method behind this recent madness?"

"Courage… yes… and I hope… well, er…" Rui suddenly looked shy. "Love… She said in a quieter tone of voice and gazed at him, her eyes shining.

"Love… is important. But without trust, love will wither away and die." Justin suddenly looked distant.

Rui gave him an incredulous look. "Are you turning philosopher or you don't trust me?"

Her husband did not respond immediately and got up from where they were seated and walked to the window facing the main road.

His countenance hidden from her, he asked, "Rui, why did you suddenly change your mind? About us, I mean…"

"Change my mind?" Rui looked at him confused.

"For three years, you kept me on a leash like some pet dog but then a couple of weeks ago, you suddenly changed your mind."

"It wasn't that sudden."

"Wasn't it?"

"What are you trying to say?"

"Your mother isn't the problem. She can be terrifying… sure… but if you had been adamant about us being together in the past, I think she would have given in to you eventually."

"Why are you saying all this, Justin?"

"I want us to be perfectly honest with each other… right from the start."

"Okay… but…"

"I spoke to Chiaki yesterday…"

"About what…"

"About you and him…"

"Him and me?"

"Yes… "

"But there's never been him and me…"

"No. He said that. But…"

"You didn't believe him."

"Oh, I believed him. As far as he's concerned, he's always been in love with that weird wife of his."

"You think, however, that I was in love with him."

"Were you?"

"Why bring this up now?"

"Because I have to know… I have to be sure that you are doing this for the best possible reasons."

"I love you Justin. I chose you. I married you. Isn't that enough?"

"It isn't that. The fact is, I don't want to be… an afterthought… A replacement called out from the reserves… I have no intention of playing second fiddle to Chiaki for the rest of our married life."

"An afterthought? Who told you that?"

"Nobody had to. I always suspected something but I didn't know it was Chiaki until recently."

A thick wall of silence rose between them. The atmosphere was thick with tension. For a while there, neither seemed ready to break it. The timepiece in the room could be heard ticking away in the background as if it felt needful of filling in the silence.

In the end it was Rui who ended it, knowing that she was at a crossroads and that honesty would be the best policy.

"I suppose there's no use denying that I had feelings for Chiaki." She said blandly. "It was a stupid, girlish crush. I knew he cared deeply for Nodame but at the back of my mind, I just kept hoping… somehow… I don't know what I was thinking really. I didn't have many friends, traveling as much as I did and he was the first person my age I got to know well enough and he made me feel comfortable about the way I played."

"He was kind to you."

"You could say that. I was lonely and frustrated. He was the ideal person to fill that gap in my life except that emotionally he had already given himself over to someone else."

"He was a fool to choose that crazy woman over you."

"You're sweet, Justin but you haven't heard her play, have you?"

"No… but…"

"She's mesmerizing. There's really no other word for it. She transports you to another place and conjures up pictures in your mind with her music. You feel the music because she feels the music and takes you on a journey with her."

"I'm sure you're generous for thinking that."

"I never used to see it but at the Tilburn comp, I was completely blown away by her rapport with the audience. I don't know how, but she captivates her audience from the moment she strikes the first note.

"I knew then that I hadn't a hope. Not because she's a better pianist than I but because the music she plays comes from somewhere in the soul that cannot be mimicked. Chiaki probably saw that from the first and was hooked. Her craziness, as you call it, probably contributes to the fascinating way in which she plays. Several years ago, I performed with him and while we played well together, I could sense that his heart and mind was not with me. All throughout the concerto, his thoughts were on something else… most probably her. Her music has such a big influence on him and he on her that no one has a hope of coming between them."

"So you gave up…"

Rui shook her head. "It was more the case that I realized how deluded I'd been. I'd been wallowing in some impossible perhaps even childish fantasy." She paused. "I think even Mum was aware of it."

"It wouldn't surprise me. Nothing much gets past her even if she is a little paranoid." Justin muttered darkly.

"Hey… don't talk about my mother that way even if she is a little paranoid." Rui protested playfully.

He threw his hands up in mock surrender. "Alright, alright. Consider me properly chastened. I yield. I'm no match for the Son mother-daughter combination. It's going to be a lifelong burden to bear, dealing with the pair of you."

She snuggled up to her husband, her eyes full of hope. "Justin… Does that mean you believe me? That I didn't choose you as an afterthought… you know that, don't you?… You were there for me all the time and you're the only man who hasn't minded my mother."

"I guess not… but I will continue not minding her if I get to have her daughter body and soul."

"She's all yours… _**mind**_, body and soul."

"Now we'll just have to convince your mother about that as well."

* * *

There was something remotely familiar about the spectre that hovered over her. Nodame had not seen her for some time so it took her brain some moments to process the face, together with the cropped hairdo and the threatening eyes. Her first thought when she recognized the monster in front of her was to wonder what zoo the woman had escaped from. Standing in front of her was a terrifying ghoul looking ready to wreak havoc and unleash an unearthly horror.

"You're Chiaki's partner, aren't you?" Nodame could see that the narrow eyes were boring down on her throat.

Nodame nodded limply, staring regretfully at her half-eaten muffin and wondered why she had bothered with breakfast in the first place.

Mei Son went straight to the point. "Where's my daughter?"

"Huh?"

"My daughter… remember her?"

Nodame nodded again. "Somewhere…"

"Where?" The mother was determined to get a straight answer.

"Probably with her husband."

"That useless lovesick girl…" The older woman snapped, straightened her blouse and readied for action.

"Why do you say such things about your own daughter?"

"It's none of your business."

"Then why did you ask me where she was?" Nodame stared at the woman with complete innocence, apparently taking no offence at the older woman's obvious peevishness.

"I… I… Nobody tells me anything."

Nodame nodded sagely and gently patted the woman on the arm that was leaning dangerously on her table. "I know exactly how you feel."

"You do?" Mrs Son looked up from her handkerchief in disbelief.

"Sure. It's irritating that people always assume the worse about everything and everyone. They think they know best how people are going to react to something. They treat us like children, thinking we need to be protected from the truth when really, everyone would be better off facing up to the truth and dealing with it."

Mrs Son shot Nodame a curious look.

"What's your name, girl?"

"Call me Nodame, aunty."

"You know, Nodame, you're a lot smarter than you look."

"You should tell my husband that. He thinks I don't know anything at all. It's annoying that even now, he thinks that he has to protect me from the big bad world out there."

"Perhaps his intentions are good." The fiery banshee beside her was now a different creature… oddly calm and soothed.

"Of course they're good. But is it necessary? How long is he going to continue doing it? I'm not a baby anymore and I have had to work very hard on my own to get to where I am now."

"Maybe his being overprotective is his way of saying how much he wants to be a part of your life."

Nodame looked incredulous. "But we are married… he is a part of my life anyway. There's nothing more he needs to do to prove the point."

"But is he wrong… in wanting to protect you? Isn't that his job as the husband to do so?"

"It's not about wrong or right…" Nodame cast a sharp look at the woman beside her. "Sometime it's about timing. But then we're not just talking about me, are we?"

Mrs Son did not answer the question directly. Chiaki's partner, she had heard, was very odd but here she was being unexpectedly perceptive. "I'm a mother and I have only one daughter."

"She seems to really like this Justin."

"Hmph… he's a nobody."

"Really? I've heard that he's an interesting person… a bit of trouble maker in the guild. That would make him a somebody, wouldn't it?"

"But Chiaki is the secretary of the guild and he's not even thirty…"

"Anybody can be secretary, aunty but it takes a special kind of person to makes waves… someone with character and personality."

"You're not actually implying that your husband is lacking in personality, are you?" Mrs Son noted, with a hint of rare humour in her tone of voice.

"He's a musical genius no doubt but he doesn't need personality when he has me, right? I have enough of that for the two of us."

"I don't doubt that, young lady." Mrs Son grim features managed to twist themselves to produce a smile.

"You know, Mrs Son, you're not so frightening when you smile. You should do it more often."

"Perhaps it's because I don't meet enough people with personality."

"Maybe… you just need to get out more…"

"Maybe I do."

* * *

"The next phase of the plan will be carried out this afternoon."

"Good."

"I'm surprise that you still want to go through with it now that you've met her."

"It was always my intention to meet her."

"I thought you liked her…"

"I do… very much…"

"But why?"

"You shouldn't worry about things that don't concern you. Just do what you're told."

"You're the boss."

"At least someone knows that."

* * *

**Author's Notes:**

_I daresay that this chapter feels a tad fillerish but I did introduce certain threads into the story which I feel deserves a lot more attention than what I've been giving them. I took some liberties giving Mrs Son a first name, trying to make life easier for myself. I don't recall her having a first name in canon but I'm happy to be corrected._

_Thank you for your patience... I am hoping the next chapter will not take as long to complete as this one did. Many thanks for all the reviews. I apologize for not getting to everyone this time round. It's been rather mad the last few weeks.  
_


	12. Chapter 11

**Chapter 11**

The audience gazed at the piano, ripe with anticipation. Most had merely heard about the silver medalist from the prestigious Tilburn Competition, others had read about her recent marriage to conducting talent, Chiaki Shinichi, while only a handful truly comprehended the full extent of the talent that was brewing under the unassuming façade. Whatever excited their curiosity in the first place, in the end, they were all lovers of good music. On this particularly fine afternoon, the Sala Terrena was packed to the seams with music aficionados.

It was five minutes before the start. There was the usual last minute scramble. A young couple was seen scanning the auditorium desperately for two empty seats when they finally noticed a hand in the third row motioning for them to head in its direction. The figure that had waved them over had been obscured by the large crowd that had gathered, hence, they did not wonder too much about it, only grateful that someone was thoughtful enough to guide them to a couple of empty seats.

"What took you two so long? You're lucky there just happened to be two empty seats beside me" A familiar voice demanded with acerbity as the two took to their seats beside it. "Now that you're married, you don't expect me to be still picking up after you, do you?"

"Mother? What are you doing here?" The daughter stood aghast, wondering whether to take flight. The usually loquacious son-in-law was learning wisely that silence was golden, wondering if had not been a mistake coming in the first place.

"Why… can't I enjoy a piano recital like the next person?" The mother barked. Then switching to a softer tone of voice, she remarked, "Nodame invited me."

"She did? Really?"

"Why is that so surprising? Do you really think your mother is incapable of making friends?

"Of course, you are mum… I just didn't think you knew Nodame…"

"We had a very good chat earlier today. She's an interesting person, so I accepted."

Rui produced a hint of smile. "I see."

"What do you see?"

"Oh… nothing really. I agree that she is interesting."

"I must say though, that she doesn't look like much… but she makes a lot of sense. It's a long time since anyone made this much sense…" Mei Son's eyes contained a faraway look, her mind drifting elsewhere momentarily.

_Nodame making sense?… That must've been one interesting conversation._ Rui thought to herself. _But mum's different… she seems a lot calmer… Perhaps…_

The son in law, on the other hand, was becoming more intrigued by Chiaki's crazy wife. _Anyone who can take on the dragon lady and come out alive… deserves respect. Wonder what happened between those two._

The dragon lady turned to face them. "So why are you both here?"

"Justin's never heard her play so we thought we'd come along. We managed to procure a couple of tickets before they were all sold out."

"Is she any good?" Mrs Son asked curiously.

"I think you should listen and decide for yourself."

"I will."

As soon as those words were uttered, the lights dimmed, exuding a warmth that softened the semi-darkness surrounding the platform. Minutes later, the audience applauded as the woman of the hour ambled her way towards her instrument. She seemed oblivious… indifferent almost… to the applause that rang around her, as she made her obligatory bow before settling herself on the chair.

She gazed dreamily into the lighted space in front of her, apparently gaining her inspiration from powers invisible to all who were looking on. Perhaps the ghost of Grieg himself haunted the place as she struck the keys expressively, bringing his lyric pieces to life.

The passion and sincerity were undeniable. Megumi Noda immersed herself in the tide of the music and allowed herself to be swept away. There was no doubt in anyone's mind that she was would go far and that she had the makings of a virtuoso… but she achieved more than mere technical mastery of the instrument. Even more vital than that… she was a performer that drew out the emotional quality of the pieces and shared them joyfully to her listeners. It was clear from the first note that she would give them a recital to remember.

Rui Lee _nee_ Son turned to glance at her mother. In the middle of the recital, she was suddenly struck by the rare speechlessness of the older woman beside her. There was none of her usual look of impatience in those eyes. Mei Son looked as if she too, was transported by the musical _tour de force_ she was witnessed too. A single tear rolled down her cheek. Memories long forgotten and buried were being revived.

"She reminds me of your father… The way she plays…" Mrs Son murmured. "I miss him." She continued to say, staring beyond the piano.

"I miss him too, mum…" Rui slipped her fingers into her mother's hand.

"He would have liked her…"

"I think so too."

"Do you really want to spend the rest of your life with that man?"

"I do, mum."

"Does he love you?"

"I know he does."

"He'd better… I expect no less for my only daughter…"

What other admonishments Mei Son had been raring to fling at her beleaguered son-in-law, her daughter would not be privy to them. Lost in conversations and reminisces, she failed to notice that the performer had struck her final note. A thunderous burst of applause was followed by enthusiastic cheering in the audience. The first part of the afternoon's programme had ended all too quickly. The spirit of anticipation in the room was sensationally high at that moment but in the excitement of the moment, no one would suspect for a moment that it would be the end of that recital.

* * *

A pathetic and solitary figure remained in his seat, bemused, hidden amidst the roaring ovation around him. Whatever else he was, he was no hypocrite. Or at least that's what he told himself.

_She's certainly as good as they all say she is… Such energy… such fervour… with undercurrents of playfulness. Wonder what she sees in that cold fish… How much would he miss her, I wonder, if she's no longer by his side? How much would they all miss her? Their precious Tilburn silver medalist._

_It would be a pity to dispose of her entirely… such a unique talent too… a rare pearl._

_Well, Anna… you said that I was a spineless imitator. Well, today, I'm going to prove your wrong… just as I'm going to prove them all wrong._

* * *

The after performance buzz was palpable during the intermission. Evidently the performance had left an impression on the entire audience, inspiring intense conversation. Five minutes into the intermission, the fire alarms sounded out urgently.

The blaring of the alarms had the effect that was intended… it brought everyone to attention and took them all by surprise. Clearly something had set it off although no one at the time would perceive the insidious design behind it.

The administration and security sprung into action immediately, herding staff and patrons around for an impromptu evacuation. The five hundred strong audience obediently followed their guides out of the exits to "safer" ground.

In the privacy of her dressing room, the young pianist was all but forgotten in the excitement, until a man, about twentyish, dressed in what appeared to be a police uniform and sunglasses came to her rescue.

"Mrs Chiaki… It's not safe for you to stay here. The rest of the building has been evacuated. You should leave too."

"Leave?" She echoed, giving him a bewildered look. "But what about the recital?"

"You will have to forget about the recital… safety first…"

"But all those people came to hear me play."

"Well, all those people have left and you should leave too, if you value your life."

"I don't see any fire." The young pianist insisted, craning her neck to look behind the long suffering fire fighter.

"It's at the other end of the building."

"Well, I should be fine then. I'll wait here for you to put out the fire over there."

"The fire could spread and you could get hurt. I can't let you endanger your own life or the lives of the other men, who may have to come back for you."

"But they came to hear me… It was a full house…"

"I'm sure they understand. These things happen."

"How could this have happened?"

The uniformed officer gently took hold of her arms. "Let's go, Mrs Chiaki."

"Where are you taking me?"

"Just through the back door and outside. Don't worry… we'll have it under control in no time at all."

Reluctantly, Megumi Noda Chiaki sighed. "Why do these things happen to me? This was going to be my finest hour yet."

* * *

On the front end, fire trucks gathered at the scene, in the hustle and bustle of the moment. The crowd that had filed out of the building were busy speculating and gossiping amongst themselves, waiting to be updated on the supposed fire that had broken out somewhere in the building. The woman that had captured their imagination was both out of sight and out of mind until some time later when her husband burst onto the scene bewildered by the large numbers gathered outside the venue.

"What's going on?" He demanded loudly, posing his question generally to anyone who could give him an answer.

"A fire has apparently broken out at the other end of the building." An elderly man in the crowd shouted back helpfully. "The fire fighters have gone in to investigate."

"I see." It did cross Chiaki's mind, if only for an instant, whether Nodame herself was responsible for the fire. Given the right circumstances, she could provide the catalyst for a major disaster. But he remembered quickly enough that they was nothing in her reach that could be a sufficient enough temptation.

His eyes scanned the crowds for the familiar reddish brown bob but after several attempts, she was no where to be seen.

"Where is she?"

"Where is who?" A man who was standing nearby asked politely.

"Nodame… my wife…" He muttered distractedly while still craning over the crowd for any sign of her. "She was supposed to be here."

"What does your wife look like, young sir?"

"Ms Megumi Noda… the pianist… where is she?"

"Er… actually… we haven't seen her. She was backstage when the alarm went off." The man remarked sheepishly.

"She was backstage?! On her own?" Chiaki gasped in horror.

"Possibly. I don't know. We just did what we were told. Everyone was so caught up with the alarm going off, we just forgot…"

Chiaki did not stick around much longer to hear what the man had to say and desperately elbowed his way through the crowd to the front entrance. His attitude had grown grave and was in no mood for social niceties. Chiaki was ready to charge through the front door when he was thwarted by security.

"Hey, young man… what do you think you're doing?" A firefighter ran towards him, stretching his arm out to keep him from going further.

"My wife… she's still in there…" Chiaki protested.

"There's no one in there, Mr…?"

"Chiaki… but she's not here. I don't see her anywhere."

"The entire building was evacuated."

"She was backstage… and there's a fire…"

"I'm telling you, we've been through the entire building with a fine toothcomb and there's no one. In fact, there isn't even a fire. Some idiot probably tried to light a cigarette in the men's restroom and set off the alarm."

"No fire?" Chiaki was in a daze. "But where is my wife?"

"She could have gone out the back entrance." Noticing the anxiety on the younger man's face, the fire officer demeanour softened. " I'll send one of my men to take a look. Meanwhile, you stay here, Mr Chiaki. Fire or no fire, this is not the time for heroics."

Chiaki felt the other man's sympathy but he couldn't help thinking that something was seriously wrong about the entire situation. Why wasn't she around? Was she up to some kind of tomfoolery? It didn't make sense for her not to be with the rest of the group.

"Shinichi… is everything alright?"

The voice made him jump. It was all too familiar and yet that was a different quality to it than when he last heard it.

"Dad?" In his disarray, he forgot his lifelong animosity against his father . "What are you doing here?"

"We heard on the news that the Sala Terrena could be on fire and so rushed here immediately to see how things were, knowing that Nodame was performing this afternoon." The father observed that his son had gone as white as sheet. "Are you alright?"

"It's Nodame… I can't find her… She's no where to be found." The son's tone of voice lacked his usual confident air.

Chiaki senior voice's turned serious. "Did she not evacuate the building with the others?"

Shinichi paused before saying, "Apparently not. She was backstage when the fire alarm went off. No one has seen her."

"She can't be far."

"The fire fighters have gone back in there to look for her. But…"

"I'm sure it's nothing…"

The young conductor allowed his body to go limp and fall to the ground. "If only I had been here. I should've been here."

"Shinichi… we don't know what has happened… yet…"

"Knowing her…"

"She's quite capable of looking after herself, I'm sure. I don't think she'd deliberately walk into harm's way, would she?"

Shinichi did not answer. His father was speaking a great deal of sense and yet even the sheer logic of what he said could not appease his troubled mind. He thought about the incident in Rome… how close he was to losing her and a cold fear seized his heart, reminding him that he could be reliving that entire nightmare again.

"Have you tried calling her?" His father suggested, seeing how racked with worry the son was.

Shinichi wondered why he hadn't thought of it himself. But then he had been far too preoccupied with the worst case scenario to think straight.

His hand immediately dived into his trouser pocket and pulled out the phone.

"Hello." Shinichi was taken aback to hear a male voice on the other side of the line.

"Who is this? Nodame? Is that you?"

"Mr Chiaki? It's Alfred Mann. We spoke a few minutes ago remember? I'm with the fire department."

"What's the matter? Where's my wife?"

"That's a good question sir. The good news is, there is no fire. The bad news, however, is that there is no trace of her anywhere. She left her things behind… her bag, music, personal items and this phone."

"What do you mean there's no trace of her?"

"She's no where to be found. Evidently she went out the back exit but she's not out there either."

"Where did she go?"

"Right now, your guess is as good as mine."

* * *

A simple false alarm was now turning into a missing person's case. Shinichi, his father and the law enforcement officials had moved into the lobby and were now locked in serious conversation.

"I don't understand this, officer. I don't believe she upped and ran away. She was very much looking forward to the recital. She told me as much yesterday." Chiaki Masayuki spoke up.

"And you are?"

"Megumi Noda is my daughter-in-law. This here is my son."

"When did you last see her, Mr Chiaki?"

"Yesterday afternoon. We had lunch together. She was very bright, cheerful and certainly looking forward to the recital."

"So she was happy?"

"As far as I know."

"Your son and daughter-in-law were happy in their marriage?"

"As far as I could tell."

"You don't seem to be very sure about that."

" I haven't seen my son for some time. I only met his wife yesterday."

"Ah, really. So you can't be sure that they were happy in their marriage."

"They've been together a long time, officer. And just got married a few days ago."

"It doesn't mean anything, Mr Chiaki. Couples that cohabitate before getting married are twice as likely to end in divorce."

"Look, if you want to know the exact nature of their relationship, you should probably ask my son. But what has any of this got to do with her disappearance?"

"Well, it could give us insight into her frame of mind before she went missing."

"Her frame of mind?"

"She could've been unhappy with the domestic side of things and decided to let the husband sweat a little."

"You don't know much about musicians, do you, officer?"

"Probably not as much as you."

"She was performing at a recital and, as you yourself have discovered, gave a brilliant performance. Why would she leave half way?"

"Lots of reasons…"

"Such as? She's a professional. Even if she was really upset, she would wait for the entire performance to be over before taking off without her husband's knowledge."

"And you're speaking from your experience as a musician or just from knowing her a day?"

"Both." Masayuki _san _remained unfazed.

At this point of the conversation, the son, who had been giving a statement to another officer some distance away, joined in.

"What's going on, Dad?"

"The officer here thinks that Nodame ran away."

"I didn't… I only said that we mustn't preclude the possibility…"

"Nodame ran away…? But why?" Shinichi face was a picture of disbelief.

"How were things between you and the wife?"

"OK. Nothing out of the ordinary. She wasn't happy with a few things that's come up. But nothing…"

"Can you tell me the exact nature of your disagreement?"

His frustration with his interrogator was becoming evident. "It wasn't a disagreement! And it's none of your business…" Chiaki blushed slightly. "It's personal." He ventured.

"I need to know, sir." The police officer persisted.

Chiaki gave his father a fleeting glance and hesitated before saying. "There's a person… of our acquaintance… that I'm not on friendly terms with. She… wasn't happy with my attitude towards him… and was giving me the cold shoulder."

"I see."

"No, you don't. We dealt with it." _Well, almost._ "She would never run away from a recital. Never. Do you know what this means to her? Years of hard work gone to waste. She lives for moments like these."

"One never knows, with women."

"Nodame is not like other women." Chiaki snapped.

Chiaki's interrogator shot him a penetrating look. "You seem so sure she's not run away. Yet you're worried about something."

Chiaki did not answer immediately.

"A few months ago… she was kidnapped… Well, not her… exactly… She was with someone… a princess and they were kidnapped… in Rome."

"And you think that's what's happened? Kidnapped?" The officer asked, not without some scepticism.

"I don't know what's happened but I'm concerned. With everything else that's been happening."

A subordinate of the uniformed police officer chose this moment to interrupt and whispered into his ear.

"I haven't told you this… but a letter was found in her dressing room."

"A letter? Really?"

"Addressed to you. We took it to look for distinguishing features."

"To me?" Chiaki looked like a man that had woken from a dream. "Where is it?"

The police sergeant took it from his subordinate and waved it in front of Chiaki.

"We took the liberty of opening it. Doesn't look relevant to the case at hand though. None of us could make rhyme or reason of it. If you'll pardon a bad pun."

Chiaki whisked it out of the police officer's hand like a thirsty man who had been handed a cup of cold water.

_Little Miss Megumi sat at her piano  
Because playing it was her forte  
Along came a spy  
Who was sent to get her  
And drove Miss Megumi away._

_Poor handsome Chiaki  
went to the cupboard  
To give his poor wife a holiday  
When he got there  
The cupboard was bare  
So the poor wife had none._

_Round and round the conductor's bench  
The _saru _chased _itachi_  
_Itachi _thought twas all in fun  
"Drop" goes the monkey._

_Chiaki found a little hen, not the prettiest I'd ever seen,  
She barely washed the dishes and her house was scarcely clean.  
I'm putting her through the mill just because I can,  
Just to prove to everyone that I am quite the man.  
She's quite the charming creature although a little pale,  
I sat her by the fire and now she's up for sale!_

The eerily malapert rhyme struck terror into Chiaki's heart.

"Sounds like someone is having a bit of fun at your expense." The sergeant smiled for the first time in front of father and son.

"My expense, yes… but fun? No. It's no laughing matter, sergeant." Chiaki turned pale. "It's my turn…" He muttered almost inaudibly to himself. "Or was it always intended for me?"

"You know who wrote this?"

"Yes… and no…"

"You're hardly making sense."

"There's someone I need to talk to… someone I know slightly…" Chiaki dug into his trousers and pulled out his wallet. "An inspector… Criminal Investigation Department."

"CID? Who?"

"Here's his card… can you contact him on my behalf? He knows everything."

The lowly sergeant took a quick look at the card and didn't bother to suppress a gasp. Kommissar Rex Moser… A legend in the police force…

"You've met him?" He asked awestruck.

"Only once… why?" Shinichi asked curiously in spite of himself.

"He's something of an icon in the Vienna police force."

* * *

"Aren't you going to ask me what this is all about?" Shinichi drummed his fingers nervously on the arm chair.

"I expect that you'll tell me when you're ready." His father took the opportunity to light a cigarette and offered his son one.

"Dad… about yesterday…"

"It's alright, Shinichi… It was probably a bit of a shock for you."

"Well, I won't say I wasn't surprised."

"I hope you weren't too hard on her."

"As if I could get away with it…"

Both men fell silent, wondering with some degree of unexpressed astonishment that they had fallen into dialogue so readily. There were still too many years between them to pretend that they could have a real conversation. Too much history to know where the barriers began and ended.

His father, however, chanced it and broke the embargo. "I can see why you chose her."

"Can you?"

"She won't win any beauty contests … but still… she certainly leaves her mark… utterly unforgettable. Not to mention, an amazing performer."

"Yeah… she is that…"

"I know that if I found something like that… I would never let it go willingly."

Shinichi felt a sudden rush of emotions wash past him. Was he father expressing his approval. All he could say, however, was, "She thinks highly of you."

"I'm glad. It gives me reason to hope."

"Reason to hope?"

"That I'm not a lost cause… That perhaps I may get a second chance."

"Dad… I…"

"I wasn't born yesterday, Shinichi. I'm not going to force myself on you. But I would like to keep in contact with her, if that's alright with you. Now and again… just to see how you're both doing. In all her glorious simplicity, she understands. It's a rare thing. And when you get to my age… you don't let opportunities like that pass you by."

"Opportunities?"

"Friendship, kindness… and love…" His father said wistfully. "I've found someone too."

Shinichi shifted uncomfortably where he was. He didn't know what to say. That his father was pouring his heart out to him had a surreal quality to it. Perhaps Nodame was right… perhaps underneath all that indifference that he had remembered, there was a core of vulnerability that he had carefully kept hidden.

"Her name is Sophie. We're getting married next month." His father remarked tentatively.

Shinichi had heard about it and nodded, equally tentatively, but the cat obviously had quite a stranglehold on his tongue.

His father appeared undeterred and continued. "There's a place for the two of you, if you're interested. Not that it'll be anything flash."

"I… I don't know… It all depends…"

"I understand." His father took the cigarette he was smoking and stubbed it out in the nearby ashtray. "Imagine that… both of us, having a civilized conversation outside the Sala Terrena. The last we were at the Sala Terrena together, you were in trouble with security for sneaking backstage to see Vieira sensei."

Shinichi saw the irony of the situation. "Yeah… who would've thought?" He muttered barely concealing a smile.

"The last few days have been full of surprises, to say the least." commented his father meditatively.

* * *

"I thought you were taking me the police station."

"I am."

"I didn't think Vienna was that big a place."

"It isn't."

Nodame had known for some time now that something was wrong. It was only then that she was able to put her finger on it.

"Mukya! I thought you looked familiar, you're the room service waiter, aren't you? Are you moonlighting as a cop now?"

"What makes you think I'm moonlighting as a cop?"

"You called me Mrs Chiaki… like you knew me"

"I did, didn't I? Rather careless of me."

"It had a familiar ring to it. I have good ears, you know."

"You don't seem afraid."

"Just a little."

"Still, you seem rather casual about it."

"Am I? I suppose it's because I've been kidnapped before."

"I heard."

"The second time is a little easier to handle. You're a lot more friendly than the man who kidnapped me the first time."

"Am I?"

"Mukya definitely! He waved a gun around and threatened us. You, on the other hand, at least, are pretending to be kind."

"I'm not an actor, Mrs Chiaki."

"Of course, it's not you I have to be afraid of. Your boss… who is he?"

"You'll find out soon enough."

"Why do you all say that? It's like the standard bad guy's speech."

"My boss… as you call him… he's the consummate actor and he hates it when he's not in the spotlight. He tends to get very angry."

"And angry is bad, right?"

"Very bad."

* * *

_**Author's Notes:**_

_The nursery rhymes I took the liberty of using in this chapter include "Little Miss Muffet", "Old Mother Hubbard", "Pop Goes the Weasel" and "Little Hen". I was very interested to find out that the Japanese word for weasel is "itachi" (apparently a villainous character in Naruto) and "saru" is the Japanese word for "monkey" which also literally means "to dispel". I thought that was highly appropriate in light of what I'm trying to do here. If you're interested in English nursery rhymes and would like to read further, a very good website, is the one to go to. It provides interesting background information behind some very famous nursery rhymes._

_For the longest time, I was keen to do a bomb scare but it occurred to me that would unnecessarily complicate a rather simple scenario so I went for a false fire alarm instead. I really wasn't trying to plagiarize kana-chan's idea from Cheeky Angel at all… it just seemed to work better for my story and besides, it wasn't a real fire anyway. :D_

_Komissar Rex or Inspector Rex is a bit of in-joke. Inspector Rex, was/is an incredibly popular Austrian cop drama featuring an Alsatian as the titled lead. Well, it's very popular in Australia anyway. Moser was his first handler. _


	13. Chapter 12: Morning Comes Before

**Chapter 12: Morning Comes Before Afternoon**

_G__O__ and catch a falling star,  
Get with child a mandrake root,  
Tell me where all past years are,  
Or who cleft the devil's foot,  
Teach me to hear mermaids singing,  
Or to keep off envy's stinging,  
And find  
What wind  
Serves to advance an honest mind._

_If thou be'st born to strange sights,  
Things invisible to see,  
Ride ten thousand days and nights,  
Till age snow white hairs on thee,  
Thou, when thou return'st, wilt tell me,  
All strange wonders that befell thee,  
And swear,  
No where  
Lives a woman true and fair._

_If thou find'st one, let me know,  
Such a pilgrimage were sweet;  
Yet do not, I would not go,  
Though at next door we might meet,  
Though she were true, when you met her,  
And last, till you write your letter,  
Yet she  
Will be  
False, ere I come, to two, or three._

_('Song' by John Donne)_

He stared numbly at the bottom of his martini with little concern for how time was passing by. Not that he cared particularly. Beresford had an overdeveloped knack for hiding his loneliness, although it seemed that overnight he undergone some kind of transformation. The arrogant ladies man was openly seeking solace in his own company in the early hours of the morning under the hospitality of the hotel bar. Those who knew him well, would have been surprised to see an out of place brokenness in his demeanor. If they had been privy to where that came from, they would have been astonished.

Perhaps recent happenings with Drake and the guild were foremost in his mind but that would mean that Beresford cared. Everyone knew, of course, that Beresford cared for no one save for the man he saw reflected in the mirror on a daily basis. To world, he was a man who was completely egotistical and no one in their right mind thought that there was even a single spark of decency flickering in that stony heart of his.

Furthermore, they would have been amazed to know that a gifted but plain-looking pianist (hardly his usual type) would be the catalyst to a chain of thought that would lead him to this present place. On the surface, there was nothing particularly special about that creature. Nothing in her looks to catch the eye of a sophisticated lothario like himself. That woman was more like an awkward child _a la_ Peter Pan than a woman. Still there was something intriguing. An eccentric innocence that even he was not able to touch in spite of or even because of his worldliness.

Perhaps it wasn't the pianist but the strange events that had caught everyone off guard that compelled him to take stock of his rather restless existence. Navel gazing had never been one of his lifelong priorities and he had no intention to make it a habit. But to see his friend so broken, so hapless, awakened a vulnerability that had long remained dormant in a soul that had for too long, desensitized itself from frailties of the human condition.

Beresford acknowledged regretfully after gulping down his fifth glass that he had reached his limit. His surroundings were beginning to alternate between blurry and distant. Clearly, it was time to leave before he became an embarrassing spectacle in public. Despite the tumult raging in his mind, he was not ready to go there just yet. Several attractive women had briefly caught his roving eye but he was gripped by a strong sense of ennui. Evidently, his once voracious appetite was now diminishing. That notion struck a pang of fear through his person. He was bored, sick to the stomach and assailed by a powerful feeling of emptiness. Nothing, it seemed, could dull the angst that had overtaken him… James Beresford had finally come face to face with the impoverishment in his soul.

He dragged himself out of his seat and left a generous tip under the glass. "Keep the change, Karl."

"You are welcome to return any time, Mr Beresford." The bartender was busy serving another customer.

"With the way things have been going lately, it may happen sooner than you think."

"Drowning your sorrows, sir?" Karl, the bartender grinned knowingly. "Is it a woman?"

"Isn't it always?" was the sardonic response.

Tumbling out of the bar, Beresford felt the floor beneath him move to a different beat. He needed no further convincing that his room was where he needed to head to. James Beresford stumbled into the lift when he bumped into someone familiar who was coming out of it.

"Weiss, what in blazes are you doing here? Don't you have a meeting to go to?" He exclaimed more loudly than he had intended.

"I could ask you the same."

Beresford leaned over and gestured a whisper, "Bad night, old fella. I'm in no mood to be bored to death by agendas and minutes."

"I know the feeling…"

"You do?"

"Yes… Absolutely…" Weiss nodded vigorously. "I'm not a complete committee man you know."

"Really? I would have thought that you were." muttered Beresford with more than a hint of cynicism.

"Oh no, that's where you're wrong, Beresford. I, too, have a taste for the ladies as you do." He said jovially.

Beresford was struck dumb by that comment and had a strong desire to laugh. He had always suspected Weiss to be rather monkish in his inclinations or that he was batting for the other side. Thus, to hear Weiss confess to being a ladies man was like finding out that Jane Austen was really a man.

Not that he particularly cared what Weiss did in his private life. The man was a boor but on this occasion he exuded a conspiratorial air. He seemed to be hinting of something unexpectedly thrilling and intriguing in the works.

Continuing in his cynical frame of mind, Beresford said, "Well, at the moment I've lost all taste of everything except alcohol."

"It does provide a temporary form of solace but I've found a more permanent solution."

"You have?"

"But let's keep it between you and me." Weiss giggled, almost childishly.

"What the devil are you up to, Weiss?"

"Up to? Nothing really. I'm just rather looking forward to a date with a special young lady."

"A date, eh?"

"Oh yes, the works… Flowers, chocolates… music and a candlelit dinner."

"Impressive. So when is all this happening?"

"Later today. This afternoon as a matter of fact. But now, I'm making necessary preparations."

"So who is this lucky lady?"

"No one in particular. Just someone I had the fortune of making the acquaintance of last night."

"I should be so lucky."

"You should be, Beresford. An opportunity like this only comes once in a lifetime, my friend. _Carpe diem_!" Weiss slapped Beresford on the back in a friendly fashion.

"Must be something special if you're playing truant like a naughty schoolboy for her."

"Oh very… and I am naughty… so naughty that I amaze myself." Weiss cackled irrepressibly.

Beresford was far from amused. There was something innately disturbing about seeing this other side to Weiss. It sent chills up and down his spine.

"You are impressed, no?" Weiss suggested seeing the look that Beresford was giving him.

"Impressed" was the furthest thing from Beresford's mind at that moment. He wasn't sure if Weiss had gone mad or just making the biggest joke of his life.

Beresford kept the tone of his voice steady. "Didn't know you had in you."

"I didn't until lately." Weiss' thoughts went adrift. "It goes to show, really, doesn't it? One is never too old."

"Absolutely." Beresford was beginning to feel rather claustrophobic. "If you don't mnd, old fellow, I'm feeling a bit tipsy. You don't want me spoiling that nice suit you've got on, do you?"

"I understand." Weiss gave him a knowing wink. "Now, remember not a word to anyone."

"How am I going to say anything to anyone when I'll be conveniently avoiding everyone."

"Good man. I'd better be off myself."

"Have fun."

"Oh, don't worry… I will…" Weiss assured him in a tone of voice that planted a seed of fear in Beresford's normally stony heart.

That Weiss' comments should unsettle him so, surprised him. But there was something about it which caused him to tumble out of the elevator and stride quickly to his room on the eleventh floor. The giggling and mischievous smirk was troubling to say the least. After undoing his shirt and belt, he made for the bed and hoped to drift off to sleep. Sleep, however, failed to come as he tossed and turned while hearing the clock beside him tick gently away.

Beresford spent much of the morning gazing at the intricate geometric patterns of the ceiling and wondering about Weiss. There was much about that exchange that unnerved him. After deliberating for an hour or two, he picked up his phone and rang a friend.

* * *

"So Hans, did you prepare the hamper that I asked for ?"

"Of course, Alex… Are you going on a picnic?"

"You could say that."

"Ah… a date…"

Weiss gave the restaurant manager an eager smile. "Indeed. My first in a long time."

"Wonderful. I am so pleased for you, Alex." _It's about time._

"I want this to be a day to remember."

"I have no doubt it would be. You have gone to so much trouble. Fritz was just saying that he's been helping you get everything ready for the last three months."

A momentary look of irritation marred Weiss' otherwise cheerful disposition. "What did that lazy roustabout say?"

"Nothing much… just that he's been helping you run errands." Hans saw Weiss' evident displeasure and made an attempt to appease him. "He didn't say anything to ruin your surprise or anything."

"Good. That boy… talks too much at times." Weiss looked visibly relieved.

"You've done an amazing job with him, taking him under your wing."

"Someone had to… He was driving his parents completely insane… All that natural intelligence gone to waste on gambling their money and his meager income."

"I wasn't sure at first that getting him a job here was such a good idea. But you were right. He just needed something to motivate him."

"I'm glad it's worked out for everyone concerned. He's not a bad kid. Just needed someone to take an interest in him."

"So where are you off to then? Somewhere by the water?"

"It seemed to me rather commonplace to be by the water. Everyone's doing it. I had a better idea."

"Oh yes?"

"Somewhere higher up, I thought."

"A joyride perhaps?"

"Oh yes. When I was a boy, my father always said that I should always go straight to the point and not beat around the bush. Maybe he's right but unfortunately I've made a habit of going around in circles."

"Your father was a great man. He left us too soon."

"He did and I miss him."

"He'll be very proud of your achievements. President of the Conductors Guild no less."

"It's nothing really. Everyone knows that. I'm just someone they picked to keep the peace. Now, secretary… that is a real job."

"That's not what I heard."

"No you wouldn't have. Few people outside the guild know the true nature of what goes on inside. Men wrangling for power… no one really cares what is good for the guild. All they want to do is further their ambitions. So they stick a mere boy in an important job."

"A boy?" The restaurant manager looked confused. "You mean, Chiaki? Isn't he doing a good job?"

"Hmph… He's a mere pawn. Anyway, he's being tested and he'll learn soon enough that it isn't that easy."

"I hear he's quite capable. Vieira was in here the other day raving about him."

Weiss made a noise akin to a snort. "That traitorous _dago_… the less said about him the better…"

It occurred to Hans then that he had touched a sore spot and decided quickly that it was best to change the subject before Weiss' short fuse exploded as he was liable to do recently.

"Chiaki's wife is quite a winning creature, is she not?"

In that instant Weiss' expression changed. "Oh yes, quite delightful." He beamed. "I'm attending her recital this afternoon."

"The gossip is that she's quite the pianist."

'I have heard the same."

"Hard to believe." Hans mused. "Not your typical looking piano virtuoso. Very childlike."

"Well, she's not a virtuoso yet." Weiss piped up. "But I expect great things from her."

"I didn't know that you knew her that well."

"I don't. But… she does remind me of… Anna… before she got corrupted by that _man_."

_Like Anna? She's nothing like Anna._ Hans numerous thoughts regarding that subject and wisely kept them to himself. _You wanted to believe she was angel but really she was a porcelain vase with the voice of a canary. It was just as well she did leave you. She had a habit of clinging on to things with a pathetic fragility._

Instead he said, "I heard about Anna… it was tragic…"

"It was… that man… that killed her…" Anguish literally dripped from those words.

The restaurant manager looked on compassionately. "Everyone makes their own choices, Alex…"

"No, he took her down that road. He didn't treat her right. If it had been me…"

"Believe what you will… but she was down that road long before he came along."

"Don't speak about things you don't know."

"I'm sorry Alex, I didn't mean to upset you but you know I speak the truth."

"You know nothing!" Weiss turned to his relative and snapped.

Hans shook his head sadly and then walked away. It was akin to flogging a dead horse. Truly, there were some things that were better left well alone.

* * *

"Anna Montgomery? The soprano? Didn't she overdose on prescription drugs six months ago?"

"The very same."

"I met her once. When was it... ten, fifteen years ago? That woman was Rita Hayworth reincarnated."

"Yes, a shame really."

"They were an item? Anna Montgomery and Alex Weiss?" Beresford was astonished. "I can't believe she went for him."

"Oh yes. Over thirty years ago as a matter of fact."

"Wow… Weiss, a stud? Who would've thought?"

"Well, not exactly. They were both mere children at the time… an interesting match… but she was a trifle too clingy. Very fragile and extremely demanding. I don't imagine too many people remember it."

"It's certainly news to me. Well, well, well… surprising that he didn't milk it for what it was worth."

"It hit him pretty hard when she took off. They were both in their early twenties. I don't think he quite got over it. His _grande passion_."

"I can imagine."

"It was probably just as well for his career that she latched on to that filthy rich hotelier when she did. She would have dragged him down with her. Not that the hotelier was a great husband but he, at least, had the dosh to pay for the doctors and all her extracurricular needs."

"I saw her play Madama Butterfly. Absolutely brilliant. Weepy stuff."

"I can imagine. A role she was born to play, I'd say."

"How do you manage to dig this up?"

"You should know better by now than to ask me that, James."

"I'm the soul of discretion."

"Perhaps. But that's irrelevant. Besides, I never give away my sources."

"It matters little… but you, as always, are a veritable mine of information."

"Flattery will only get you so far, Beresford. Anyway, why all this sudden interest in Alex Weiss?"

Beresford shifted uncomfortably in his sofa. "Oh, I don't know really… just something he said this morning… excited my curiosity."

"Hmmm… I see."

"What's wrong?"

"Just something else I've heard about Weiss in the last few months…"

"Do tell."

"Just before Montgomery went to sing with the angels, she asked for him and being the obedient puppy he was, he went to see her. Two weeks later, she dies. As one would expect, he was distraught over the whole thing except that he overdid it and lapsed into a depressed state and was told by the board in no uncertain terms to take some time off."

"Really?… It failed to hit gossip of the month at the guild."

"It was all very hush, hush. But I know the concert master slightly at the VSO and so he gave me the inside story."

"Well, I take my hat off to you, Jack… O ye purveyor of gossip and other newsworthy items."

"A word of warning, James… Weiss has been known to fly off the handle when people poke their nose into things that he would rather keep to himself."

"You know me… I couldn't care less what the man does to himself. But it does explain why he's been acting rather… oddly. Playing truant for one and it does explain why the man suddenly thinks he's God's gift to women."

"Can't handle a little competition, James?" The voice on the other side of the line smirked.

"Competition? That balding creature who's a close relative of Quasimodo?"

"Well, some women do love 'em."

"Yeah, well apparently some do. There's no accounting for some people's taste. He claimed that he's met someone. A female someone."

"Haven't heard anything about it from the grapevine."

"Well, he was very coy about the whole thing. Extremely pleased with himself. As if he made a killing on the stock market."

"Maybe he did."

"Maybe… but there was something in that tone of voice that gave me the impression it was something much more personal… much more sinister."

"Shock, horror. What's the world coming to? It's not like you to care." _The incident with Drake must've really shaken you up. But still…_

"It is shocking, is it not? Soon I might even develop a conscience." Beresford muttered sarcastically.

"That, my friend, is the day when pigs sprout wings and take to the sky."

* * *

"Now, let's turn out attention to the most recent figures."

Chiaki's mind was a million miles away when the treasurer, Sipowitz, got up and gave his address. As Sipowitz droned on about figures and budgets, Chiaki's thoughts traversed a different route.

_Maybe I shouldn't have left her this morning without saying something. But she was sleeping so soundly and I didn't have the heart to wake her. _

_I wonder if she's still angry with me? It's been a while since I've seen her like this._

_Sigh… I thought things like that would be easier between us when we got married… not harder…_

_What does she want from me now? Doesn't she know how I feel? Is it always going to be a test with her? I married her, didn't I? That freak of nature… turned my life upside down and then took over. Against my will, I fell for her and now against my will…_

Chiaki tightened his hold on the pen that was in his hand temporarily and then released it, oblivious to the fact that it was tumbling out of his palm and onto the floor.

_Trust Dad to enter the picture right now and complicate matters between us… That man… Am I doomed to live in his shadow for the rest of my life? Why now… why has he chosen this present time to suddenly play family again?_

_He went to see her recital… was that part of the plan? Was he that affected by her music?_

Giving himself a small smile, Chiaki persisted with that train of thought.

_Her music… It is true… no one can resist it. Her ability to bring her audience to where she is has always been her greatest gift. It was why I…_

He shifted in his seat in an agitated manner.

_I could be there… beside her every step of the way and instead I find myself being pulled away from her at every turn. Could this be a sign of things to come?_

_Is Weiss right… do I have to make that choice… sometime? And will I make the right one?_

Chiaki continued to ponder over the ramifications of that sobering notion as the voice of the speaker faded into the background like the hum of a musical accompaniment.

* * *

Fritz Braun whistled a cheerful tune as he made the final arrangements for Weiss' big surprise. It hadn't troubled him before… the childish notes… the spying but kidnapping? Of an innocent and rather harmless looking woman. An odd sort of thing to do with someone that one liked. Still, he owed Weiss a great deal. The man fought to give him a chance when no one else wanted to. No one had shown much interest in his welfare outside of his parents but even they were beginning to despair that he would make anything of himself. Weiss, on the other hand, had promised him much in exchange for keeping his end of the bargain.

Nevertheless, a growing feeling had taken root in his mind that Weiss was losing his grip on reality. He temper was becoming shorter as was his patience. There were times he didn't make much sense. He wondered if he should pull the plug on the whole thing and take off while the going was still good. Fritz, however, was deeply curious. Curious about how the entire melodrama would pan out. The delinquent in him drove him in that direction without recourse to a moral compass. But just in case things got out of hand, he would have a backup plan ready.

He was tightening the ropes when the phone in his pocket vibrated.

"Checking up on me, I assume."

"Is everything ready?"

"Yeah, sure… of course."

"Get over to the Sala Terrena as soon as you're finished. Make sure you're not late."

"We've been over this a hundred times. I know. I won't be."

"I don't want anything to go wrong. I've been planning this for months."

"A bit edgy, aren't you?" The younger man observed nonchalantly.

"I'm not and it's none of your business how I feel. You just do your job, young man and earn your pay."

"I will. As long as I get paid."

"You don't think I'll pay you?"

"Oh nothing like that. What if your plan doesn't work?"

"Of course it'll work… it's foolproof. Not even you can bungle it."

_Oh really. You're more far gone than I thought._ "If you say so, boss."

* * *

**Author's Notes:**

_I daresay you've picked up on the fact that this chapter is a flashback "episode" … events that took place prior to the recital and the kidnapping in chapter 11. Just in case you didn't…. ;) I wrote to fill in some of the gaps about characters and situations and also to explain certain character motivations.  
_

_Each year I seem to fall prey to the winter chills and my sinuses seem to get the better of me, particularly when I'm gainfully employed.. It's been a tough couple of months trying to perform the juggling act but I am determined to get this finished… by hook or by crook. :D_

_Thanks to those who have sent anonymous reviews. I really appreciate your comments and am sorry that I have been unable to thank you personally._


	14. Chapter 13

**Chapter 13**

Nodame couldn't remember when it was that she got on to a ferris wheel _voluntarily_. She had some vague idea that it had been a very long time ago. Perhaps during her elementary school days in Okawa or even Tokyo. She had been at an impressionable age when the ferris wheel was an awe-inspiring structure to behold but there was no trepidation then… just the mounting anticipation of a child ready to embark on the thrill ride of her life.

However, for the adult Nodame now being forcibly imprisoned in the cabin of a ferris wheel, fear never felt more real or more stultifying. Fear did not come to her often especially that variety of fear which one had for the safety of one's own life. Particularly, when one was mostly likely about to be swung 60 m (200 feet) in the air at the menacing whim of a phantom kidnapper.

The Giant Ferris Wheel of Vienna was a stupendous sight, in fact, the only giant ferris wheel of its time still in use today. In 1944 it was burnt down and was rebuilt the year after. Nodame, of course, was unaware of its history, her only thought was to survive what was promising to be a harrowing and potentially fatal experience.

It was eerily quiet. A well-known fairground in Vienna was at a complete standstill. Ordinarily such a place would have held a high level of fascination for her. Today, however, her only thought was to find a means of escape. Whoever was behind her capture was certainly well-connected or was enormously wealthy. And mad. A great deal of madness had to be part of the equation. After her previous brush with danger months earlier, she could rightly claim some degree of expertise in the area of mania.

The henchman was quietly industrious as he bound her hands together. "Can't have you taking off before he gets here. I need the money. You know how it is."

"Sure…" Nodame muttered awkwardly, wondering if the lackey was not afflicted by the same malaise as the mastermind. "I'm sure you've been working very hard."

"The hardest I've ever worked as a matter of fact. But the money was right."

Nodame felt obliged to continue the conversation. "What are you going to do with the money?"

"I'd like to travel… see the world… that sort of thing." The young man said seriously. "I hear the women in Venezuela are very beautiful."

"I've never been to Venezuela myself but I've heard the same thing."

"And the pyramids… I'd like to see them."

"It's a good idea. Everyone should see the pyramids once before they die."

"Oh, I'm not going to die yet but I would like to see them just the same."

"I don't want to die myself. Seeing the pyramids is just one of many things I'd like to do before that happens. I'm still working towards being a world famous pianist."

"Really? You don't look like the ambitious type."

"Looks can be deceiving. You don't look like the kidnapping type."

"Like I said, the money was right."

"You don't look like the type to do anything for money either."

"Well, you're right… looks can be deceiving."

Nodame stared with morbid fascination at mechanical complexities and asked as nonchalantly as she could. "Is this thing safe?"

"Haven't heard otherwise. But then I've never been left in charge of the controls before. Don't worry though. I've had a bit of practice the last few days."

Not particularly reassured by that remark, she said, "You know, my husband comes from a rather rich family."

"Good for you."

"Well, yes it is. But what I really wanted to say was… You know, whatever your boss has paid you, I'm sure the Miyoshis can double it if you let me go free."

"Oh, I'm sure… but that's not the point, is it?"

_Not the point?_ "Oh really? What is the point?"

"It wouldn't be much fun, if I just let you go."

_Fun?! Playing games with my life?_ Nodame was livid and yet she had to admit that there was a strange kind of logic to what this badly dressed young man was saying.

"Besides the boss is not someone I want to cross. He knows a lot of people especially in this city."

"Who is he?" Nodame was bursting with curiosity despite her predicament.

"I promised I wouldn't spoil the fun by letting the cat out of the bag."

"I can pretend to look surprised later."

"Nah… I don't want him to have the slightest suspicion that things aren't what they should be."

"He's very lucky to have someone so… _committed_."

"Committed? You've got the wrong man, Mrs Chiaki. I go whichever way the wind blows."

"I can't believe you would both do all this just to get my attention." Nodame remarked as she kept the sound of nervousness out of her voice.

"He went to a lot of trouble." Young Fritz commented offhandedly as he tightened the knots around her wrists.

"Who?"

"The boss…"

"Why?"

"I'm not completely sure myself… but he does seem to like you."

"If he's gone to all this trouble… doesn't he know I'm not available?" Nodame looked puzzled. "He does know that I am married, doesn't he?"

"Of course, but that doesn't usually stop men who are a crumb short of a schnitzel."

"Huh?" Nodame's face registered a confused look.

"He's mad…" was the comment accompanied by the appropriate gesture.

Whatever effect that comment was calculated to have, it evidently failed to inspire any confidence in Nodame, who was inwardly bemoaning her pathetic fate to be the target of mad men.

"He's not completely mad, mind you." Fritz added hastily, noticing the change in pallor on her mien. "And I'm almost certain he doesn't mean to harm you."

_Almost certain. Great. I'm doomed._ "Why did he choose me?"

"I'm not 100 sure on that one. But I think you remind him of someone."

"I do?"

Fritz nodded. "An old flame."

"A lover? Wow… did she break up with him?"

"It was a long time ago but she died recently. Don't think she quite got over it."

All this talk of death and harm in such a blasé manner confused Nodame further. Was this just someone's idea of a joke or a piece of elaborate theatre taken to extreme?

Her captor clucked sympathetically and assured her, "He should be here shortly and it will be all over soon… one way or the other."

To this Nodame was rendered speechless. She found the lack of options suggested by that statement both disturbing and thrilling at the same time.

* * *

"Have you any ideas about who would want to kidnap your wife?"

Chiaki stared numbly at the inspector, paralyzed by a nauseating sense of unreality. The entire business smacked of an absurd feeling of déjà vu. It seemed as if in the cosmic scheme of things, something or someone was taking perverse pleasure at causing them grief.

Nodame was a magnet for odd happenings to be sure but nobody would want to harm her surely? Admittedly, she could be exasperating at times but… kidnapping was extreme to say the least. What could any one possibly gain from the exercise? She would be more trouble than was worth the effort.

Eventually, Chiaki found his tongue, after being gently nudged by his father into awareness that several pairs of eyes were staring expectantly at him for some minutes. The inspector's question, repeated twice, finally penetrated the mental fog.

"None whatsoever… I can't imagine why anyone would want to." Chiaki did not bother to conceal his agitation as everyone looked on sympathetically.

"Well, I can think of several reasons but I doubt any of them would be relevant seeing that you did not receive a ransom note."

"What do you mean?"

"You're a wealthy man, Mr Chiaki… or at least you come from a wealthy family."

"My _mother_ comes from a wealthy family."

"Of course and someone might want to take advantage of that fact."

"Kidnapping Nodame for money? But why now… why her?"

"I admit the timing is interesting but you have only been married recently, have you not?"

"Less than a week." Chiaki's voice had a ring of despair to it. _Less than a week… and already the barrage of issues that we've had to deal with._

"Actually… like you, Mr Chiaki, I don't believe she was kidnapped for money."

"Then what is the motive?"

"This latest note suggests something almost personal."

"Someone with a grudge against Nodame?" Chiaki exclaimed incredulously.

"On the contrary… someone with a grudge against you, Mr Chiaki." was the calm, lucid reply.

* * *

Abandoned temporarily by her captor, Nodame's thoughts turned elsewhere. It wasn't fear that directed them this time but concern for the man she had involuntarily left behind. She wondered what he was doing… was he relieved to have washed his hands off her or was he fretting around like a headless hen. There was a familiar tightness in her chest at the thought that they would never see each other again.

She was unnaturally calm as she thought about the concerts she would never perform, the places they would never visit together and the children that they would never have. Most of all she wondered if he would miss her.

He had always said that he loved the way she played but would he truly miss her for her own sake?

_I don't want to die and I'm not planning on it. But if I did I just want to be sure. I don't suppose it matters… I would be past caring probably… I don't really want him to worry. I just want to know if I mattered enough… more than the music… more than just a habit. _

In the scheme of things the Tilburn silver medal seemed to be a mere trinket that men and women strove for in that insignificant time they spent during their short years on earth.

Nodame felt a shiver tingling through her person as a gentle breeze swept against her hair. It wasn't the cool air or the fear of death… just the thought she would leave this world and _he_ would never know what happened.

* * *

"Me?" Shinichi was dumbstruck. "I ca… can't imagine anyone..."

His father gave the inspector a hard look. "What are you thinking of, inspector?"

The inspector lit up his pipe before answering.

"I am very interested in that conductor's guild of yours, Mr Chiaki."

"The guild? Why?" Shinichi stared at the detective. "You can't think…"

"It is not outside the realms of possibility. Someone's been sending notes to members of the guild obviously with the intention of causing mischief… or conflict even. You told me yourself about the problems that have beset the guild. It's not a happy place and you know what that means… there's a lot of unhappy people who could potentially do things that they might not usually do."

Father turned to the son and asked with keen interest. "You've been experiencing problems at the guild?"

Shinichi nodded reluctantly. "The last two years have seen many divisions in the rank and file. You know what it's like… the younger members want change, the older ones try to cling on to the comforts of tradition." Shinchi's voice faltered. "They asked me to help… to help keep things going. The guild is a very important part of classical music history."

"They?"

"Stresemann and Vieira sensei…" Shinichi collapsed onto the nearest arm chair and allowed his arms to fall by the side. "They were so sure that if I got onto the committee, it would help things."

"Did it?"

"It seemed to. For a while… but this year's convention… it's been one headache after another." Shinichi's face sank down and was devoid of any expression. "If anything happens to her… because of my involvement with the guild…"

"We don't know that for certain, Chiaki." A loud, irascible Teutonic voice broke through his guilt induced haze. Narrowing his eyes at the inspector, he asked, "Who's this?"

"Herr Stresemann, it's an honour. My wife and I are big fans of yours. In fact, since you're here, could I get your autograph?"

"I don't do autographs." Stresemann commented brusquely with a distinct glint in his eye. "I don't, however, mind meeting your… er… lovely wife… Mr.. er…"

"Excuse me, I've been remiss. I'm Inspector Moser."

"Noser, eh? Are you in charge?" _These incompetent local law enforcement types… trying to put the scare in him. Probably end up bungling the investigation. _

"Yes, I am… Herr Stresemann, may I say… your performance of _Faus_t was quite superb." _Hard to believe this is the same man that conducted Faust._

"Hmph… yes…" _Perhaps this one might be an exception_. "So what are you doing to find Ms Noda aside from throwing around ridiculous theories."

"Let me assure you that we have all our best people on the case but we cannot discount the fact that the kidnapper or kidnappers may have it in for Mr Chiaki especially when one considers that he has become the latest recipient of these poison pen notes left at the scene of the crime."

"Is that true, Chiaki?"

Shinichi nodded grimly and moaned. "It is because of me… because of us… that she's been taken…"

"We don't know…"

"Oh, stop saying that, old man! It's obvious she didn't runaway because she left her things behind. No one's heard from her for two hours. The notes are pretty clear about what's going on."

"Get a hold of yourself, Chiaki. Now's not the time to fall to pieces."

"It's easy for you to say… If anything happens to her… I hold you responsible…" Shinichi broke off furiously.

"Shinichi… We know how you feel…"

"None of you know how I feel." Shinichi almost bit his father's head off. The ramifications of what could happen was becoming all too clear to him "I almost lost her once…"

Stresemann took control of the situation at once. "We are not losing her. In fact," He turned to make eye contact with the inspector, "I'm sure Inspector Noser has already formulated a plan."

_It's Moser… you arrogant, pompous imbecile but there's no denying your Faust was quite brilliant_. "As a matter of fact, gentleman, I already have. And I'm going to need to cooperation of the entire guild."

* * *

_Author's Notes:_

_I apologize for the slow updates... but my baby has turned into a superactive toddler and boo hiss... only has one sleep a day. Work's busy and the house is a disaster area from months of neglect so I'm sure you'll understand if these updates are not coming as quickly as they used to. I expect the remaining chapters will be shortish just so I can work the pacing in a lot better.  
_

_That last chapter must've been really awful judging from the lack of response I received. Ah well, it's something I had to do even if it was a tad fillery. ;)_


	15. Chapter 14

_**Nota Bene:** My dear readers... Thank you for those wonderful reviews and keep 'em coming. While I don't want to stop you good people from reviewing, can I request ever so nicely that you don't give anything spoilery away when posting any of your gems... plot points, big reveals... that sort of stuff. I don't know if there are new people reading at this late stage (my larger than life ego fervently hopes) but I don't want them to be spoiled just from looking at the reviews (just in case someone else apart from me actually looks at them). Ta and cheers to you all for being so interested in my little o'l story._

**Chapter 14**

_Some man unworthy to be possessor  
Of old or new love, himself being false or weak,  
Thought his pain and shame would be lesser,  
If on womankind he might his anger wreak ;_

_And thence a law did grow,  
One might but one man know ;  
But are other creatures so?_

_Are sun, moon, or stars by law forbidden  
To smile where they list, or lend away their light?  
Are birds divorced or are they chidden  
If they leave their mate, or lie abroad a night?  
Beasts do no jointures lose  
Though they new lovers choose ;  
But we are made worse than those._

_Who e'er rigg'd fair ships to lie in harbours,  
And not to seek lands, or not to deal with all?  
Or built fair houses, set trees, and arbours,  
Only to lock up, or else to let them fall?  
Good is not good, unless  
A thousand it possess,  
But doth waste with greediness. _

_("Confined Love" by John Donne)_

It was a bewildered James Beresford that followed a mass of slow moving and equally sour-faced men into an emergency meeting. Having dozed off in his bed and then rudely roused by the blaring ring of the telephone beside him, he was scarcely in any frame of mind to be sociable. But Beresford, in spite of himself, suffered from a human trait that afflicts the human psyche all too commonly... curiosity. Nursing remnants of a hangover, he had been ill-equipped to pose the right questions to an impatient receptionist. Over the phone, he had been given little information about this unscheduled gathering except assurances that it was a "life and death situation" which warranted his attention, and while he was as surly as the next person about having their free time intruded into, the aura of mystery surrounding the matter had an allure about it that was nearly impossible to resist.

He managed to pull aside a fellow conductor to ask, "What's going on my dear fellow?"

The other man did not bother to hide his irritation. "Not sure... something about Chiaki's wife, I think."

"Chiaki's wife?!" Beresford echoed disbelievingly. _Nodame?_ "The pianist?" _What does she have to do with the guild?_

"Must be... unless he has another wife that nobody knows of until now."

"What's happened to her?"

"Search me... you know as much as I do." was the bellicose reply.

Perceiving that he was going no where with this conversation, Beresford fell silent and indulged in a little internal speculation. It was difficult to imagine how this unassuming young woman would somehow be embroiled in the recent troubles that had besieged the guild. Sure she was Chiaki's wife but what kind of devil would make her a pawn in this diabolical game? Beresford too was surprised at how his interest had piqued when she was mentioned. It was something of a puzzle to him, his growing concern for this strange woman, when he scarcely knew her. However, there was something about her that drew one in... that made one oddly protective of her. The last time he saw her, she had been noticeably distressed.. He had put it to marital problems but now, it seems that there was a lot more going on than he had imagined. Her ties to the guild evidently ran much deeper than his usual source of gossip was able to provide.

As he took his seat amidst the two hundred strong attendees...a heavyset man dressed in a non-descript brown overcoat got up and made his way to the podium.

"Gentleman... and ladies..." He began by saying. "I want to thank each and everyone of you for giving up what little spare time you have this afternoon to be here."

_Get on with it man_. _Enough with the softening up already._ A rumble of discontent rippled through the audience.

"My name is Inspector Moser and currently I am investigating a mysterious disappearance, which requires your cooperation. As many of you may have been aware, someone or a group of individuals have been making waves among guild members during this conference using poison pen notes, with the mischievous intention, it would seem, of taking advantage of the tensions within the guild."

Gazing around to see if he had the attention of his audience, Moser paused to let his words sink.

"Earlier this afternoon... things came to ahead."

* * *

"Where is Weiss?" Somewhere in the crowd, a thirty-something conductor from the Netherlands whispered surreptitiously into Beresford's ear.

"Not a clue... wasn't he informed?"

"He should've been. He is still the damned president, isn't he?"

"Well yes..." _Last time I heard._

"Well then... he should be here... it's his job to look the part and make us look good."

"I suppose."

" I don't like to say this... but he has been acting a little strange lately..."

"You don't say... "

"I've heard rumours that the VSO were threatening to give him the sack."

"No... really..."

"They're only rumours, mind you."

* * *

"What you may not know, however, is that this afternoon a young pianist, Megumi Noda Chiaki mysteriously disappeared during a recital she was giving at the Sala Terrena. Many of you may have heard of her and even know her as the wife of your secretary, Mr Shinichi Chiaki. The fire alarm went off at the Sala Terrena earlier this afternoon... only there wasn't a fire and it turned out to be a false alarm. From what we've been able to understand, it appears that she left in a hurry, leaving behind what worldly possesions she had with her – a black tote bag containing music scores and her cell phone. The fire department is certain that none of their people saw her leave so they are at a loss to explain her whereabouts."

"I am now asking if anyone of you know anything because I believe that this matter is somehow related to the events that have taken place in the last few days." At that comment, a murmur of disbelief rippled across the room.

"Yes, it may seem to you farfetched but Mr Chiaki has become the latest recipient of anonymous notes and the timing is compelling to say the least." At this point, the inspector allowed himself another pause.

"Look, ladies and gentlemen, this is not the time for pretence. The last thing I want to do is pry into your private lives but if you happen to know anything that can help our investigation, we will be grateful to hear whatever you have to say."

"Mrs Chiaki's life may depend on it."

* * *

"Shinichi... are you alright... son?"

The younger Chiaki sat numbly in the auditorium oblivious of the sympathetic chatter that was going on all around him as the guild members filed out of the room or gathered in their cliques arou nd different areas of the room.

"Huh... what... what did you say?"

"I asked if you were alright."

Engulfed by worry, Shinichi reached his breaking point."My wife's been kidnapped... and it's probably my fault... how do you think I feel?"

"I'm sorry, Shinichi... I'm truly sorry... I had no intention of patronizing you but as a wise man once said, 'a burden shared is a burden halved.'" was his father's calm reply... tinged with a world weary compassion.

The son was shamed into a short spell of silence but spoke again as he was determined to get to the bottom of the man who for many years had abandoned him.

"Dad, why now..."

"What do you mean?"

"Why do you care..."

"You're my son..."

"I've been your son for the last twenty-nine years... so why all this concern right now?"

His father did not answer immediately. A profound sorrow glazed over his eyes before he murmured regretfully. "Twenty-nine years... most of them wasted years... No amount of money or fame in the world will be able to buy them back..."

"Why now..." The son persisted, his eyes fixed onto his father's face.

"Because I can... because I am no longer afraid..."

"Afraid? Of what?"

"Of facing up to my responsibilities. Of finally realizing what it means to have a son."

Shinichi had nothing to say. How could he? For years he had been simultaneously avoiding his father and rehearsingwhat he would say when they finally faced each other. This was not what he had imagined. For his father to be so open with him and confessing so freely his shortcomings... this was not the Chiaki Masayuki that he had grown up fixated on. This Chiaki Masayuki was a man broken and capable of compassion... the kind of father he had fantasized about as a boy and given up on as a young man. It unnerved him because now the onus was on him. Previously it had been easier to blame his father for the way things were between them but right now, his father was taking the initiative to offer him the olive branch.

The emotions that were raging through his mind were many and varied. A part of him was eager to embrace this seemingly genuine gesture of reconciliation but a part of him was fearful of being disappointed as he had been on numerous occasions during his childhood.

"You've changed." was all Shinichi could muster in the midst of the emotional whirlwind he was experiencing.

"Your mother made the same observation."

"Mother? You spoke to mother recently?" Shinichi asked curiously, relieved not to have to commit himself at this point.

"Yes, I did. Heard a rumour that you got married and rang her to confirm it." Masayuki san gave his son a reassuring smile. "Don't worry, the entire conversation was very civilized."

"I didn't think it wasn't." Shinichi mumbled. "I'm just surprised that she even took your call."

"Perhaps we're both getting old and finally realizing how short life is and how ridiculous it is to cling on to these troublesome vestiges of the past."

"Sometimes the past is all some of us have." Shinichi blurted out with some bitterness.

His father nodded sorrowfully. "I know I can't change what happened, Shinichi but I would like to be a part of your future... yours and Nodame's, however much you want me to be."

"Just like that? So we just forget that the past ever happened."

"I don't blame you for being cautious... you have every right to be but I'm here now, Shinichi if you need me."

The sincerity in his father's voice was unmistakable... and irresistible... Shinichi was at his most vulnerable to be sure but more than that it gradually dawned on him why Nodame had been so eager to build that bridge. His father had changed but it wasn't just that he had changed his mind but it was as if his entire personality had gone through a refining process. _What the h happened to him? What brought about this change?_

Unprepared for where this question could take him, Shinichi ventured else where. "She was so angry. I wonder where that _hentai_ is right now. Maybe she did run away."

"I doubt it. From the little I've seen and heard, there's no doubt that you are her life."

Fighting back the emotions that were welling up inside, Shinichi babbled on distractedly. "She's so reckless, it's hard to know what she'll do sometimes. Even though she has this innate ability to drive anyone crazy, it's... difficult... to imagine life without her."

As if on cue, Chiaki senior remarked, "When I watched her recital the other day, I was struck by how easily she found the emotional core of the piece and drew her listeners in. It was hypnotic and wonderfully arresting."

"She does have that effect on people."

"In fact, it is why you fell in love with her."

_At least he understands that much. _"You really have changed, Dad."

"And you, son, have grown up."

* * *

Beresford was disturbed. Why should he care if the chit of the girl had gone missing? It had nothing to do with him. As Jack had said, the chances of his developing a conscience was slim to none. Nonetheless, that feeling of disquiet that had nagged at him that morning had gradually taken root. Surely it was just a coincidence that Weiss was no where to be seen while Chiaki's blushing bride had mysteriously disappeared.

He turned a critical eye toward the beleaguered husband and wondered how he was holding up. While he could perceive that Chiaki was doing his stoic best to keep a brave face, there was something in his eyes that told a different story. What he saw in them was a man in despair, fearful and utterly helpless.

_I was wrong about him... He really does love her. From the looks of things, he does know what is at stake... what he could potentially lose._

In another rare moment of introspection, Beresford allowed himself the luxury of realising how envious he was of this young couple.

_What is the hell is wrong with me? I must be getting soft in my old age. If this keeps up at this rate, it won't be long before I'll be headed for the nearest confessional and weep for all the husbands I've sinned against._

* * *

Spinning furiously, the ferris wheel was gaining momentum, with no sign of slowing down. Her heart was pounding madly. She could hardly breathe and felt a terrifying tightness around her chest. Clutching wildly around her, there seemed to be no way of stopping it and there she was, its sole occupant, strapped to the seat with no possible escape in sight. Helpless, she tried to scream for help but no sound came out of her lips. Nodame clung on to her seat for dear life as the wheel was threatening to spin out of control. Suddenly the ferris wheel gave a violent rumble and shake, causing the bolts that were keeping it down to rip out of their places. Still whirling madly, it took off like a rocket and headed straight for the stratosphere. Death seemed imminent until she saw a large brown, furry figure sitting in a distant cloud beckoning and calling... _Megumi... Chiaki..._

_Megumi? Gyabo! It's the mongoose... What the.. What's going on? _

Megumi... I've come to take you home. (The mongoose was looking particularly grim.)

_Home? You mean Japan?_

No... no... the place where people go when they die...

_Die? I'm not going to die. I'm too young._

It's inevitable, Megumi... you can't escape it...

_But... but... I'm not ready... I just got married... I've waited so long to get married... and my career... I've only just begun._

I'm sorry Megumi but your time is up...

_Nooooooooooooooo..._

Nodame tore open her eyes in violent protest and observed through a dusky haze that she was still on terra firma, clinging with all her might to the side bar of the cabin. Ever vigilant, Her young captor was looking nonchantly over her and patted her on the shoulder.

"Time's up... Mrs Chiaki... the boss is here."

"I don't want to talk to him." She tried to wriggle free of her restraints to make her point.

"Well, it's not up to me... he wants to talk to you. And what he wants, he gets."

"Over my dead body..."

"You know, Mrs Chiaki... I wouldn't say it too loudly. He might just give you what you want."

"I don't care."

Fritiz lowered his voice and looked away quickly. "Ssssssssh... here he comes... just play along as long as you can. It might buy you time."

"Wha..."

Whatever else Nodame had in mind to say, Fritz never found out. For ambling towards them was the instigator of the conspiracy himself, dressed to the nines complete with a hefty picnic basket in one hand and a bouquet of flowers in the other.

In keeping with the theatrical nature of the affair, he burst onto the scene with all the swagger and drama he could marshall. "Ah my dulcet darling. So sorry to keep you waiting, child. I hope everything is to your satisfaction." He beamed suavely.

Nodame was stunned speechless. He was the last person in the world she would have imagined to be behind this entire business. It was too bizarre for words. Fortunately for her, he seemed only too eager to fill in the silence that marked their encounter.

"I hope you liked my surprise and that Fritz gave you a right royal welcome."

"Muki... he did..." was all that she could mutter.

"Good... good... I apologize for the ropes but I didn't want you to get the wrong idea."

_That you're crazy? That some one should lock you up and throw away the key?_

"Gya... of course not... Mr Weiss... of course not..."

* * *

_Author's Notes:  
_

_Hi everyone! Needless to say, I have been slack... There's a cool new feature on this site that I've just discovered and it reminded me that I have been very sloooow about updating. But as you all know... there's no rest for the wicked.  
_

_Thank you to all the wonderful people who reviewed the last chapter. I'm sorry if I made you feel obligated to do so... but it was good of you and it's always a boon to hear from anyone who reads the stories. I apologize for not responding to each of you personally but please know that I find a great deal of encouragement from each one.  
_


	16. Chapter 15: Night Falls

Chapter 15

_Disclaimer: This is a work of fiction. I make no pretence of having specialized knowledge of psychoanalysis, hence this chapter should not be perceived in that light._

I

As her tumultuous mind switched between moments of clarity, panic and paralysis, the entire exchange felt to Nodame like a piece of _kabuki _theatre. In this drama she was the helpless puppet in the hands of a malevolent puppeteer who was prone to mysterious and dramatic revelations. In quiet desperation she filed through her memory banks of a decade of _Puri Gorota_ episodes for some way to make sense of this predicament but even that failed to provide any kind of comfort or ready wisdom. For better or for worse, she was all alone and she felt it keenly.

A barrage of emotions sent shock waves through her senses as she waited for her captor to make his next move. Fear was undoubtedly present. However, it was not entirely for herself. First and foremost in her thoughts was the man she left behind. _He must be worried and wondering where I am. _

_At least I hope he is. _

The park was deathly silent and as she glanced around her, it was clear (bar a miracle) that there was only darkness to look forward to. But as it turned out, despite what she had been led to believe, the ferris wheel was not going to be her final destination.

_Will I see him again?_

Weiss gently lifted her arm and tugged her sleeve, leading her towards the centre of the park. "I've always loved amusement parks but my father never took me. He said it was only something that philistines and common children went to because they didn't know better. One night, I sneaked out and came here but he locked me out of the house. So he won that round. But I had the last laugh... I bought myself an amusement park."

Evidently, Weiss' mental state was deteriorating fast. A cacophony of past influences was now taking its toll on an already troubled mind -- an authoritarian childhood, failed romance and crushed ambitions – ingredients for a lethal cocktail bound for destruction and crippling his ability to see reason. Nodame had good reason to fear for her life.

_I wonder where he's moving me to. Should I be glad or worried that I'm not dead yet? So it's not going to be death by ferris wheel.... Death by roller coaster maybe. Bumper cars? Giant saucer cups? Maybe I should try to run._

Stealing a glance at her captor, she caught a sinister gleam in his eye. _Maybe not..._

Nodame was no psychologist by any stretch of the imagination but even she knew that she had to keep this man occupied and talking. Hence she spoke, not out of any obligation to make small talk but to distract and to divert.

"What do you want from me?" Her throat was dry but she managed to choke out the words.

"Want? I want nothing." He paused briefly as his breathing quickened. "Except your best of course."

"So why did you kid... bring me here?" She stammered uncertainly. His sincere demeanour baffled her. He seemed to all intents and purposes, the picture of benevolence and serenity. Unhinged or not, he was completely indifferent to the moral implications of his diabolical machinations... a clone in the tradition of James Bond villains.

"To talk. Why else do you think?"

"But I was in the middle of a recital..." Nodame heard herself say in a voice she did not recognize.

"Recital? Pah... I have better plans for you."

"Plans?"

"Absolutely! You are destined for great things, my dear. You deserve the best that life has to offer."

"The best that life..."

"Certainly! And I'm just the man to give it to you."

"Give me...? Give me what?"

"The world... my dear... the world."

* * *

Beresford jumped into the nearest taxi, with no idea of what he was doing or getting into. Even he understood little of his newfound motivations. His contact in London had supplied him with all the details he needed and the next thing he knew he was waving down a taxi. _Better get on with it before I change my mind. _

_Wonder why Weiss is after her_... _she looks nothing like Montgomery... not in the slightest... So what is it about the new Mrs Chiaki that's caused him to go all batty?_

_Or me for that matter..._

_Homely to look at... childish... childlike... completely artless... Nothing at first glance that would make her stand out from the crowd._

_But she is a demon on the piano... Demon... angel... enchantress... once she casts her spell, she quickly gets under your skin. Her music... like the music of the Sirens... to Odysseus. She ensnares... enthralls her hearers and causes them to see visions... memories... to weep of things that once was... of things that could have been._

_Quite unforgettable..._

Despite his experience with the fairer sex, James Beresford was confounded. Picturing himself at that recital stirred many sensations... many familiar... many long lost but returning home, begging to be reacquainted. It made him uneasy... He had always found it easier not to remember. It was more convenient to think of other things. The frivolous things... The urgent things...

_Good lord... I thought I was the worst cad around.. my penchant for wedded beauties... but Weiss, seducing and kidnapping another man's wife in broad daylight is plainly pathetic._

The thought did occur to Beresford in the middle of his contemplation that the entire fiasco had very little to do with her... perhaps it's the young husband that had incurred his loathing. Hadn't Weiss been vying for the Secretary position for years? It was beyond ridiculous to Beresford that anyone would covet the position to such an extent of wanting to exact revenge but then Weiss, he thought, was always a rather sanctimonious, narcissistic nitwit and Anna Montgomery's death might have been the straw that broke the camel's back.

_Still hard to imagine any woman falling for that brownnoser._

All this brooding led Beresford to consider his own intentions towards the troublesome Mrs Chiaki. True she wasn't his type... from all appearance as sexually appealing as a soot-covered waif but her transparency as a musician and a person was... arresting. Against all his better judgement, he was learning to care despite feeble attempts on his part to suppress these protective impulses, wondering why she of all people would inspire such feelings. There were no simple answers. Or answers he was satisfied with. On the rare occasion he did, however, develop a kind of superficial fondness for the objects of his dalliances. But only rarely and only during their brief time together.

This, however, was something else... something quite unfamiliar... and the thought of which unnerved him.

Luckily for him he did not have to think further on it. The driver of the taxi cleared his throat and announced that they had arrived at their destination.

* * *

"What about Shinichi?"

"Shinichi? Oh you mean Chiaki? What about him?"

"Where does he come into this?"

"He doesn't. You don't need him when you have me."

"I need him! He's my husband..." _Our life together... our plan to be the golden pair..._

A look of confusion registered for a second or two on Weiss' jocund facade.

"Husband?" He asked bewildered. "Husband?"

As if trying to make sense of the implications of the word, his face contorted into a grimace as if in pain or anger. A minute later, he fell into a dream-like state only to emerge from it racked with barely suppressed rage, babbling on urgently.

"He will only destroy you, my dear... but we mustn't let him, must we? No... we can't. Let's take you somewhere safe... somewhere where he can't hurt you?" He clutched onto both her arms as if his life depended on it.

"Hurt me?" _You're hurting me... _"Let go of me, Herr Weiss"

"Yes... Anna, my love... he doesn't care for you the way I do."

_Anna? Anna? Mukiii... Why is he calling me Anna? _

"Nobody cares for you the way I do... Anna."

_Gyabo... is Anna that woman... Does he really believe I'm her?_

"Maestro. Maestro Weiss... it's Nodame here... Remember me, Nodame...? I'm the wife of Shinichi Chiaki... a colleague of yours. We had dinner together last night." Nodame was trying to wriggle free but the Viennese conductor had strengthened his grip and was exerting it with apparent ease. She was a rag doll in his hands and he seemed completely oblivious to her kicking.

_You're hurting me... you lump of human excrement. Let go of me..._

"I'm Nodame, Maestro... Shinichi Chiaki's wife. Please let go of me..."

Mention of Chiaki, however, did not serve to soothe the disturbed conductor but only managed to fuel the deep-seated anger that was gradually surfacing. This was his moment to air grievances that had hitherto been contained by a fragile veneer.

"Chiaki... They chose that boy over me. How could they? After years of service... my contributions to the guild... all for nothing. The ultimate insult."

Nodame was bewildered by the comments and stopped her struggling. "Nothing? Aren't you the president?"

"The president is a nobody. I am a nobody... I'm just a figurehead like the Queen of England. They have the real power in the guild... they make the decisions. They pulled all kinds of strings to get Chiaki elected... I hate them..."

Nodame had no doubt that the "hate" part was true. There was, however, the question of the "they".

"They? Who are they?"

"Vieira... Stresemann... and their gang of rats... who else!"

* * *

Despite being hostage to the ever changing moods of a decidedly obsessed individual, Nodame was inwardly furious.

_Mukiya! We gave up our honeymoon for this? A power hungry mad man kidnaps me for revenge even though I have nothing to do with the guild? If I get out of this alive... I will personally make sure that a lot of people never conduct again._

"_If" I get out of this alive..._

Evidently there would be no reasoning with the man although she hoped in her desperation that it might still be possible appeal to his better side... to play up her innocence and ignorance...

"This has nothing to do with me... maestro... I am completely ignorant of the guild's power plays."

"Of course, you are, my dear... which is why I brought you here."

_Huh? You are punishing me for my ignorance?_

"Come, come... let's have something to eat. I'm sure you must be hungry. Hans can be an idiot but he does know how to pack a good meal."

To that suggestion Nodame assented heartily. It was the first good thing she had heard all evening. True to form, it was her solemn belief that dying on an empty stomach was second only, in terms of horrific endings, to dying without one's beloved.

* * *

The food was good but Nodame took little pleasure in it, thinking that it might be her last chance to indulge in some real _cuisine_. He had re-tied her hands with strong knots so it was an awkward affair partaking in food and... a quiet one. Weiss had fallen uncommunicative preferring to rearrange the ingredients on his platter into something resembling a sandwich and Nodame was in no mood to engage in small talk with her capricious kidnapper.

Now that there was some semblance of calmness, Nodame felt much more predisposed towards exploring her environs. The light source, though adequate, was some distance away and using that as a guide, she could just make out a sizeable, dark object tucked away at the other end of the room. By and large, the room was vacant, no furniture to speak of... no windows to stare out of... no easy access to a door to make a quick getaway. All that was visible to the naked eye were air conditioning vents to keep the environment tolerable. All of which, was calculated to keep anyone inside from leaving voluntarily.

A multitude of thoughts, none good, raced through her mind. _I am going to die. This is my last meal. This crazy man is going to turn me into a stuffed pig and cut me into a million pieces when he's done with me. Or maybe he is going to poison me and throw me into acid bath. Worse still, he's going to shoot me in the stomach and let me die a slow painful death._

Weiss had seem so normal the night before... so what was it that turned him from the charming host into a psychopathic kidnapping-wannabe-killer? What was it that Fritz said... about Nodame reminding Weiss of his old flame? _Anna? Was she the old flame?_

Nodame's knowledge of psychology was undeniably limited but even she could see that her eating companion was a prime candidate for the insane asylum. Nonetheless, despite what fears she may have had, Nodame was insatiably curious about Weiss' lost love, the apparent rationale behind his skullduggery. When she observed that Weiss had calmed down considerably and seemed lucid again, she plucked up courage to ask about the mysterious "Anna" that had apparently inspired this string of outrageous acts.

On that subject he was eager to talk. He seemed almost normal while relating the particulars. "Anna Montgomery was... simply... the greatest soprano that I had ever heard. The first time I heard her sing, I fell in love with her. Even though I was young and foolish, she became the love of my life." He said with more than a tinge of sadness. Nodame almost felt sorry for him. "But I knew I wasn't good enough for her. I was twenty-two, a nobody with a hundred dollars to his name in those days."

"What happened?"

"She thought she found someone who would take care of her... a rich man who could give her a secure future. That's all she really wanted. To be secure... to have someone take care of her. I was happy for her at first. But it didn't take long for him to tire of her... She had been some kind of trophy wife for him probably... That's when she started drinking, doing drugs... She was always very sensitive but he didn't understand her." _No one did... not the way I did..._

"I'm sorry."

"She died six months ago. I was too late to save her. The only woman I really cared about my whole life... was gone before I could do anything. I blame myself for not acting more quickly."

"That man didn't have the courage to love her the way she deserved... but then I didn't either..."

To Nodame's great surprise, he turned to look at her with burning intensity.

"Do you believe Chiaki loves you, Nodame?"

"I do." Nodame thought about their big fight the previous day. _That was nothing... it doesn't matter... I know he does..._

"How do you know... how sure are you?"

_How do I know... I just do. Especially after Rome. _Nodame wasn't sure that was what Weiss had in mind and groped around for something more tangible. _ Because he finally made things official? That he wasn't afraid to tell the world that he wanted to be with me? _Many such thoughts turned over in her mind as she fingered her engagement ring unconsciously. In the end she blurted out awkwardly the one thing that stood out in her consciousness: Chiaki's circuitous proposal that had been punctuated with fillers and pregnant pauses.

"He said we should get married..." _After nine years of waiting... but I would have waited forever..._

"So are you saying that marriage is the ultimate proof of love?"

Nodame was caught off guard by the question. "I guess so..." She ventured carefully wondering where this was headed. "Don't you?"

"You're the expert amongst us, my dear but we're about to put that to the test."

"Test?"

"It's an experiment..."

"An experiment?" _What is he up to?_

"Let's think of it... as an experiment in love."

"But why?"

"Don't you want to know... don't you want to be 100% sure... that the man you chose... you married... really does love you?"

"I don't need proof..."

"Such faith... wonderful! But... can you be certain?" He challenged. "It is good to be loyal but better to be sure. Afterall, you don't want to wake up one morning realise that you've made a big mistake."

"Why are you doing this?" Nodame demanded. "Are you jealous?"

"Perhaps... I am... but it won't hurt to find out, will it?"

"You are trying to confuse me."

"Contrary to what you think, I only have your best interest at heart."

"I don't believe you..." Nodame eyed him warily. "What's in it for you?"

"Nothing... really." _Only the satisfaction of proving to the world that I was right all along._

"Do you expect me to believe you? You are not a good man, maestro. You pretend to care but all you want to do is to destroy because love was taken away from you."

"You have been deluded, poor child... but not to worry... Alex here will show you the truth and the truth will set you free."

Nodame was growing impatient with what she thought were the ramblings of a mad man. After much effort she managed to stand and raised her voice.

"I don't know what nonsense you're talking about but it is you that brought Nodame here... against Nodame's wishes and _you_ say that _Nodame's_ mind is clouded. You talk about helping Nodame... helping Nodame see the truth but really you are just an angry blind man whose heart has been cut out and now you're empty inside. Are you trying to make Nodame empty too?"

"You don't understand..."

"I don't want to understand... I just want to go home... I have work to do."

Before Weiss could pontificate further, the ever efficient Fritz dashed into the room breathless.

"Hey boss, I hate to interrupt but I think we have company."

"Already? So soon... I wasn't expecting anyone just yet. Who is it?"

"It's that British guy... Room 306... oily, sleazy..."

"Oh him... excellent... wasn't expecting him but he could come in useful." Weiss rubbed his hands together with some relish.

"What do you want me to do with him?"

"Just let him wander in and I'll handle him myself."

**II**

At the Ambassador's Hotel, delegates were still trying to make sense of the bedlam that was the malicious poison pen letters, the missing pianist and rumours that someone was causing this ruckus for vengeance. Grown men and women were skulking up and down the corridors on edge, nervously wondering if they or their spouses were next on the hit list. Many were ready to pull out and fly out of the country except that they had been duly reminded in no uncertain terms of their needed cooperation in a criminal investigation. Needless to say, the conference was in complete shambles and the older guard were well aware that this could spell the end of the guild as it had been for 150 years.

"How could something like this have happened?" Stresemann bleated mournfully.

"You don't think it's one of the young ones, do you?" Vieira speculated. "This has impetuosity written all over it."

"I doubt it... It's someone with axes to grind... A young one would have just resigned and taken off. Young people these days don't have much interest in preserving tradition."

"But they're classical musicians... surely they care about..."

"Their careers..." Stresemann was in a pessimistic frame of mind. "No, Vieira... it is somebody who is angry... someone who cares enough to be angry... who cares enough to go to all this trouble. Who has enough information about all the members to be dangerous. This tells me that it is long-time member."

"Surely not!"

"We cannot be sure about anything. When a person is angry, they are capable of anything."

"You don't really believe Nodame is any danger, do you?"

"I don't know... I can't say for certain. I wish could..." Stresemann's voice faltered.

"You're fond of her, aren't you?"

Stresemann said nothing. He had been so proud of her... the ugly duckling that was turning into a swan...

It was then a forty-something conductor from Sweden chose to burst into the room they were in, huffing and puffing.

"Stresemann, Vieira... good you're both still here..."

"What's the matter..."

"It's Weiss..."

"What about him?"

"No one seems to know where he is..."

* * *

Inspector Moser was on a warpath. People were missing left, right and centre at this conference and yet his interrogation was yielding little result. There was the usual reticence of people closing rank but it was difficult to work out who was shy of talking to the police or who actually had something worthwhile to the investigation to hide.

He thought himself a methodical, patient man but even he could see that he was going no where fast. When the two senior members of the guild offered to accompany him he was sceptical, unsure if they would help or hinder his investigation. But Streseman looked as if he wasn't about to take "no" for an answer and it did occur to Moser later that perhaps the German conductor could be useful. He knew most of these people... their secrets and many stood in awe of him. Furthermore, behind that veneer of steel, Moser could sense that there was something deeply personal for Stresemann about this entire affair.

The president of the guild was now missing too. His room was immaculate. The bed looked made or perhaps it had been untouched. But there were no signs of his personal effects or that he left involuntarily. Although he had not checked out officially, there was no indication either that he was planning to return.

"But you were the last person to see him."

"Inspector... I really don't know where Alex went... I swear upon my mother's grave... if I did I would tell you." The restaurant manager protested.

"Alright, alright Hans... calm down... just tell us what happened this morning." The interview was going nowhere and Stresemann felt the need to intervene.

"Well, he gave me instructions first thing in the morning to pack him a picnic basket. 'Only the best.' He said so I did. He came to pick it up a few hours later."

Lurking in the background listening to the exchange, the inspector then posed his question. "What was he like? How would you describe his mood? Was he happy, upset... excited...angry?"

"Definitely happy. And excited. Oh yes... Said he was going on a date."

"A date?" Stresemann was stunned. "With whom?" _I didn't know he was seeing anyone._

"He didn't say who.. except that it was a lady. I had not seen him this happy in a while... especially, well you know... after..." Hans looked at Stresemann wondering how much he should say.

"After what?" Moser noticed the two men exchanging looks.

"After the death of Anna Montgomery." Stresemann volunteered. Hans looked relieved as if someone had taken a burden off his shoulders.

"Anna Montgomery?" The inspector was intrigued and perplexed.

"The British singer... soprano... She died several months ago. You may have heard."

"No, I hadn't... and what was Ms Montgomery's connection with Herr Weiss..."

"They were lovers... a long time ago..."

"Herr Weiss never married, did he?"

"No... She left him for fame and fortune... and well, he never quite got over her."

"I see... So Hans... tell me, what else did Herr Weiss say to you..."

"Nothing much. He did, however, get very angry though when we talked about the guild."

"Really?"

"I don't think he was happy being president... it was very strange... he talked about the secretary's position being the real job or some such thing."

Stresemann grew attentive. "He did? Did he talk about Chiaki?"

"Oh yes... and Mrs Chiaki too."

"What did he say about her?"

"Well, I could see that he was getting a bit hot under the collar so I changed the subject. The three of them had dinner here last night so I made a comment about Mrs Chiaki being a charming lady."

"How did he feel about Mrs Chiaki?"

"He definitely liked her... even said that she reminded him of Miss Anna."

"He did?"

"Uh huh... that's when he got angry again. It was something I said about Miss Anna making her own choices and he was furious and blamed her husband for 'corrupting' her. That's when I walked away. I know Alex too well... he doesn't get angry much... but when he does, you don't want to be standing too close."

"Did you know Anna Montgomery personally, Hans?" The inspector queried.

"A little. Alex and I are distant cousins. We were a lot closer when we were younger... especially after his father's death... yeah, I met Anna in those days before she got it into her head that she was too good for him. In the end, I think it was better that she did leave... she tended to choke the life out of things around her. It's funny he never saw that... sad really... Love is blind, I guess."

"So how did he handle Ms Montgomery's death?"

"Not too well, I'm afraid. Very badly. He suffered depression as a result. Had to be hospitalized."

"You knew about this, Herr Stresemann?" The inspector turned to the conductor who had become quiet.

"I did."

"And you, Herr Vieira..."

Vieira had remained silent throughout the proceedings and was content to remain in the background. He merely nodded.

"How many people knew about this?"

"Not many. Just a few of us older ones. We saw no need to embarrass the man... he'd been through enough and then a couple of months ago... he seemed to come out of it."

"You didn't think it might be a problem..."

"Not really. None of us are psychologists, inspector... He seemed very much his old self. Even the VSO took him back. There was no reason to think otherwise..."

"Think what?" Hans piped up. "What's wrong, Herr Stresemann... inspector? Is Alex alright? Is he in trouble?"

"We don't know... Hans... we just don't know..."

* * *

"In all likelihood Weiss has her... he's gone missing as well... and it's too much of coincidence."

Chiaki choked on his glass and spluttered. "Weiss... why?"

"We're not sure... he's had some mental health issues in the past year..."

"Mental health issues? What mental health issues? Why didn't anyone tell me?" Chiaki was incensed and ready to throttle Streseman. "You let an insane man run lose in a major international conference... and now, you say you think he has my wife?"

"Shinichi... no one could have foreseen this..." Vieira interjected.

"He's not exactly insane. Just angry..." Stresemann backed away cautiously.

"Enough with the semantics... What does he want with her?" Fraught with worry, his patience was wearing thin.

"We can't be sure..."

"Just tell me..."

"I don't think he quite got over the fact that we made him president."

"So what's that got to do with Nodame?"

"Well... It was no big secret... He was eyeing your position for some time..."

_No big secret? Well, I didn't know. _"Why didn't you just give it to him?"

"We couldn't... he could've cracked at any time but more importantly, no one really respects the man. Most of the younger members think he's a joke."

"Well, I wonder who's laughing now."

* * *

The Wurstelprater was abnormally quiet and as he made his way to the entrance, Beresford could feel the cool chill of the evening tingle on his cheeks. The grounds appeared to be deserted, heightening his awareness that he was all alone. He wondered why he hadn't told anyone he was coming. Perhaps he wasn't sure... just trying to test out a theory? Fear of sending the police on a wild goose chase? All this newfound introspection was maddening. What was he supposed to do with it? Although quiet, the amusement park was still brightly lit in anticipation of visitors. This caused him to see that perhaps his outrageous hunch was not as outrageous as he had thought it was.

_Wonder what Weiss intends to do with this place? Part of his retirement plan? Wonder how much he paid to get control of this place. Even the restaurants are closed. What did he do, declare a public holiday? Evacuated everyone this morning?_

Despite everything, Beresford felt a grudging respect for Weiss' attention to detail. _All this must've taken a bit of planning. Dotty or not, the man knew what he was doing. Can't have done it alone though._

Just as Beresford was thinking through the intricacies of Weiss' plan and where his hideout was, Fritz emerged from apparently no where.

"Oh... Mr Beresford... the boss is expecting you."

Expecting me? "The boss?"

"Herr Weiss, of course. In this place, he's the boss."

* * *

**Author's Notes:**

_Thanks for your patience and your continued interest in this story (and all my stories)._ _I had no idea that it was seven months since I last updated. I really wish I had more time to devote to writing but unfortunately it does cause sleepless nights and I can't afford too many of those._

_Thanks also to those who showed interest in We Don't Say Goodbye and wrote to say so. The response was better than I had hoped._

_And to Jess H who wrote a wonderful review for Intermezzo... thank you. I was both flattered and deeply encouraged by your kind words, particularly because of your musical background. You are every writer's dream reviewer.  
_


	17. Chapter 16: Enduring the Darkness

**Chapter 16**

"You know... all your're doing is wearing out the carpets and the soles of your shoes."

It was a piece of commonsense that would go unheeded. Chiaki was pacing up and down the hotel lobby out of his mind with worry. The temptation to take up smoking again was ever present. Running on adrenaline and worn down by anxiety, his hair was more dishevelled than usual, his complexion gaunt. Three stiff drinks later, there was still no comfort for the troubled beast within. From time to time he would dig into his right pocket and pull out his phone in anticipation, only to slide it back into his pocket again. For fifteen minutes, Sebastiano Vieira quietly observed his former apprentice with great interest. Morbid as it seemed, it gave him some measure of comfort to know that the boy was experiencing some degree of pain.

"I need to do something... something... anything... All this not knowing is... is..."

"Driving you crazy? Yeah, that's obvious." Vieira _sensei _made no attempt to hide the grin that was spreading over his face.

"I just wish that there was a way of finding out... if she's okay... If I just knew..."

"That's the hardest part... not knowing..." Vieira nodded sagely.

"No... no... not really. The worst part is... knowing that _I'm_ responsible for putting her in this position."

"Shinichi... don't do this..."

"It's true. If I hadn't made her come to this stupid conference in the first place, none of this would have happened."

"You didn't make her do anything as far as I can tell... she seemed really happy to be here and very proud of your achievements."

"Yeah... _my_ achievements... hell of a lot of good that has been... might be her undoing..."

"We don't know that for certain... and really, let's not go there yet... there could be some other explanation..."

"What other explanation?"

"The truth is... I don't know... but Hans did say that Weiss was quite taken with her, reminded him of an old flame even... I don't think he'll hurt her."

Chiaki seemed to take some comfort in that thought and collapsed into the nearest armchair, utterly worn out by his own exertions.

"I don't know what I'd do if anything happened..."

"I know... I know... She is your life..." The older man observed astutely, armed with an arsenal of insight that only a lifetime of mistakes can bring,

_She _is_ my life... How different does that sound now._

_Once upon a time... it would've been different._

_To think I kept her at arm's length for as long as I did... and now... in a moment of clarity... I see that she is my life... when I could really lose her... again...  
_

_Just when I was getting used to the idea that she'd be around... forever... the rug gets pulled from under..._

Chiaki's thoughts flew to the grand piano that took prominent position in their living room... his wedding present to her... visions of it collecting dust and cobwebs in their flat in Paris. For her not to be playing it... would be utterly meaningless... no different to an orchestra without a conductor. Worse still... to never hear her play again... the fountain of joy would cease from his life... _cantabile capriccioso_...

_My capricious singer._

The nightmare was happening all over again.

_

* * *

  
_

_He had been a nervous wreck. His normally reliable hands had been shaking uncontrollably and acting on their own accord. Sleepless nights had plagued him for a whole week. He, Chiaki Shinichi, after hemming and hawing for weeks, had finally settled on the question of marriage to that _hentai_. Better get it over and done with, he had thought.  
_

_Romantic overtures were not his forte but he had procured a ring after months of deliberation which he had believed would serve as ample proof of his... er... intentions._

"_We should get married..." He had begun by saying to her as if in rehearsal with the orchestra. "September is a nice time... Don't you think it's time we did?" He hadn't been game enough to look at her directly._

"_That question... _senpai_... is not for me." She had pointed out. "I have been ready a long time."_

_He had given no immediate response. The truth was far too close for comfort. But he had continued to do what he did best... meander through the issues._

"_I think the timing is right... our careers are taking off... You'll be playing at the Tilburn and then we can get married after that." He had rambled on in a business-like manner.  
_

"_So senpai is saying that career comes first right... then marriage..." With her eyes wide as saucers and all the innocence of an eight year old , she had made her penetrating remark._

"_No... I... meant that now things are... well... clearer between us..."_

"_Clearer? Nodame has always been clear. Senpai has always been Nodame's husband."_

"_I just thought... that you wanted to be a pianist... first"_

"_I did... I do... But Nodame wants to be Chiaki Shinichi's wife too... Anybody can be a pianist but not everybody can be Chiaki Shinichi's wife."_

"_Er... I guess... but..."_

"_Senpai... don't you remember? It was you who encouraged Nodame to aim higher... to become a real pianist. Without you... Nodame would have become a kindergarten teacher..."_

"_So... what are you saying?"_

"_Love and work are the same... like a good pair of chopsticks, neither one more important than the other... There is no right time. We are the golden pair, right?" She had wrinkled her nose distastefully._

_Chiaki had nodded meekly at the time, feeling like a naughty schoolboy that had been properly chastened. _

"_But Nodame wants to marry senpai because of love not because of right timing... if we are honest with ourselves, there will always be something that can get in the way." _

"_So the real question is... senpai... do you want to marry Nodame?"_

As he recalled those words with a heavy heart, a little Nodame-spun wisdom crept into the recesses of his mind.

"_Anybody can be a conductor. But not everyone can be Megumi Noda's husband..."_

* * *

"You seem a million miles away..." Vieira _sensei_'s voice broke into his train of thought.

"I was just thinking about something... something she said..."

"Thinking about her is good..."

"It's all I have..." He lowered his head and struggled to say the words while trying to maintan composure. "At least for the moment... since the police can't tell us anything helpful."

"I must say Shinichi, I'm relieved... glad almost... to see you like this... utterly wretched and in torment. You look almost human."

Shinichi looked up and glowered at his former mentor, wondering if he had suddenly developed faulty hearing.

"Quite often one has a hard time knowing how you feel. You're so good at hiding your feelings, even as a boy. I've long suspected that you were in love with that pianist of yours but now I'm sure of it."

Chiaki averted his eyes, shamefacedly as if caught redhanded doing something illegal. "Vieira _sensei_ is making fun of me."

"No... seriously... it's good. There's hope for you yet.

"You make it sound like I have some kind of disease."

"As far as metaphors go, that's not a bad one. But does she know?"

"Know? Know what? That I have a disease...?"

"How much you care... how much you really care..."

"I married her..." Shinichi felt like the twelve year old being lectured to by his teacher.

"Well, it's a general step in the right direction but that's not what I asked you."

Shinichi thought a while. "I... I... think so. The incident in Rome made me... _us_... more appreciative of each other..."

Vieira grinned. "Nothing like a good crisis to make you think about what's important."

"And now, it's happening again." _Why?_

"I'm sorry Shinichi... it's not fair, I know."

"It's not that... Vieira _sensei_... I just can't help feeling that all of this is my fault..."

"No one could have known... Surely you can't blame yourself for the kidnapping...?"

"Can't I? The truth is, I've been selfish. It's always been about my career, my work and our relationship has always taken a backseat to it, it seems."

"Has she ever complained about it?"

"Never... not to my face anyway..."

"Has she ever given you cause to think that she's not happy with present arrangements?"

"No..."

"But now you feel guilty because this has come up."

"I suppose..."

"Well, this is something that you need to think long and hard about. I'm not going to lie to you, Shinichi... it doesn't get any easier... especially if you both continue to be working musicians. Also, babies and families have a tendency to complicate matters."

"Families..." Chiaki's eyes fell to the ground.

"Yes, families... definitely... nothing convenient about them." Vieira maintained his scrutiny of Chiaki.

"We've never talked about it."

"If you want to survive this thing called marriage, you're going to have to." _I know I've said that the old should never interfere with the doings of the young... but what the heck..._

"Because somewhere down the track you're going to have to make some hard decisions. You have to decide what is more important to you: Living a life of solitude littered with fleeting pleasures and encounters or sharing your life with someone and growing old together. And take it from an old, married man... it's not all bad."

"I'm sure." Chiaki managed a smile. "I don't know how you manage to juggle it all."

"It's a lie, you know... that you can have it all. Nobody has it all. There's no such thing. Something has to give.

"Stresemann has made his choices... I've made mine. Frankly, I think he's a fool. He probably thinks I'm one too. But between you and me, I think I've got the better deal.

"I suppose we are the lucky ones. We do what we love and people pay us to do it. But at the end of the day... if there's no one to come home to, we're only half full. Rarer still are those like you and Nodame... able to share your love for music within and outside the confines of marriage. I hope you never take it for granted... what you have... and grow to see the benefits amidst the challenges."

Vieira paused when he saw the stricken look on Shinichi's face.

"Don't be too hard on yourself, Shinichi. Many things are out of our control. That's reality. It's how we respond to these situations that sets us apart from everyone else."

"It all just feel so hard..." Chiaki moaned.

"Welcome to Life... young man... just remember: choices have consequences."

"Don't I know it..."

* * *

"We've been digging into his financial affairs for the past twelve months. He has liquidated all his assets and bought into the Wurstelprater."

"The amusement park? Why?"

"We don't know but we think this could be the lead we're looking for."

"You think he's taken her there?"

"That is what I surmised so I made a few calls and apparently he managed to get the whole place to shut down for 48 hours."

"How did he manage that?"

"Said that he was bringing in independent health and safety inspectors to look the place over."

"He could do that?"

"He has controlling shares in the company, said he needed assurances that his investment was being protected."

"No one found it strange?"

"Apparently not."

"So when are you leaving?"

"As soon we as make a few final preparations."

"I'm coming with you." announced Chiaki in a voice that hinted strongly that "no" was not an option.

"Absolutely not, Mr Chiaki... it could be dangerous..."

"It's _my_ wife we're talking about..."

"I know how you feel but..."

"No... you don't... inspector." There was steel in Chiaki's voice. "There are only two options here: Either I come with you or I make my own way there and get in your way. Which would you prefer?"

The inspector sighed and resigned himself to the inevitable. _Young, reckless and in love. _

"And we're going with him." piped up Streseman with equal determination.

* * *

The short journey to the Wurstelprater seemed to take forever. The three conductors were squashed together like sardines in the backseat of the police car. Chiaki spent the time looking up and down a sheet of crumpled paper and out of the window.

"Nervous?" Stresemann inquired.

"Not particularly." Chiaki was a lot calmer but unable to shake off a persistent feeling of dread.

"Why do you keep staring at that piece of paper?"

"It was left in her dressing room... I thought it might be important... A clue or something..."

"Come up with anything yet?"

"No, nothing really... it's just a bunch of malicious rhymes with a single theme. A jarring reminder that she's gone... taken from under my nose and I wasn't there to stop it." _If only I'd been there... I would have been there... Then this thing came up..._ "All calculated to put on me on a guilt trip."

"Is it working?"

Chiaki nodded.

"It's not your fault, you know."

"So everyone keeps telling me."

"Don't let him mess with your head. Whatever happens."

"Huh... do you know something?"

"Just a hunch."

* * *

Beresford found himself in a large enclosed space that seemed to go on forever. A carpeted area reeking of fresh paint. He felt as if he had walked through a labyrinth of turns and entrances. Fritz had insisted on the blindfold. Like Tiresias but without the benefit of foresight, he believed that he was walking to his doom.

At the other end of the hall-like area, Nodame was puzzled to see the music director of the London Symphonia. _James? _

_Why is he here? Are they working together?_

A booming, hearty voice greeted him at the entrance.

"Beresford! I must admit, I am surprised to see you here. But you do find it hard to stay away from the ladies, don't you? Come to play the hero, have you... and rescue the damsel in distress?" Weiss was suspiciously genial and light-hearted.

Beresford proceeded with extreme caution. Casting a rapid eye around the room, he could see in one corner of the room that the victimized Mrs Chiaki was alive. Paler than he had remembered and watching everything nervously. He heaved a sigh of relief. At least she was... alive.

"Look Weiss, aren't you a bit much... kidnapping the lady... even if you hate the husband and all that? Not very sporting at all."

"I thought you of all people should understand."

"Look old fellow... I've done a lot of things that would make Casanova blush but isn't kidnapping extreme?"

"Extreme circumstances call for extreme measures."

"Extreme? How?"

"You've heard her play... you know she needs protecting from corrupting influences."

"Well, yes... perhaps but it still doesn't explain why you had to kidnap her."

"It's not kidnapping!"

"I think old chap you'll find that the authorities will beg to differ on that."

"They are irrelevant... everyone's irrelevant. Only she and I matter."

_Good lord... the man's gone completely off his rocker..._

"I suppose that's why you've tied her to the chair... rather original way to show that she matters." The sarcasm however seemed to be lost on Weiss who was fixated with his sandwich. "Weiss, old fella... if I can find you, so can the police. The real life ones aren't quite as incompetent as the books lead us to believe."

"I'm prepared for that eventually and I'll deal with it but not until I get my pound of flesh."

"Are you sure you want to follow through with this."

"Why are so concerned for our little pianist?"

"I... I'm... not."

"Don't tell me you want the girl for yourself?"

"Don't be ridiculous! She's not my type..."

"So why are you here then..."

_Good question. Why am I here? Putting myself in harm's way? There's no telling what Weiss is capable of. I must be just as demented._

"To make sure you don't do anything you might regret later."

"I'm touched Beresford... really I am... but forgive me if I don't quite believe you."

"Suit yourself. But don't say I didn't warn you."

"Again... thank you for your concern but I know what I'm doing..."

Beresford's eyes wandered around the room and met the gaze of the young pianist fidgeting nervously as if crying out for help. This sent his emotions into disarray flooding him with a rare sensation of helplessness.

"Why punish the lady for something that the husband did?"

"Ah... so you do care...

"Well, you know me... I hate to see a lady get hurt." Beresford added hastily.

"Don't worry, I have no intention of hurting her." Weiss had a sinister gleam at the corner of his eye. "And remember, Beresford, I took her first... so don't get any bright ideas..."

"Won't dream of it, old chap..."

Beresford had no idea what he should do. He was no man of action, having lived life relying largely on his wits. His idea of extricating himself out of difficult situations was to dish out his famed charisma, which unfortunately on this occasion, was unlikely to have any effect on its object.

In desperation, Beresford wiped his brow and gave the room a once-over for some kind of inspiration. Further down the hall, a series of contraptions lined up against the wall caught his attention. Strolling down the aisle where the collection of musical curios were displayed, his interest was further excited when he realized that they were rare antique player pianos which had been exquisitely preserved. Evidently, the room was in the process of being converted into some thing of an exhibition, a veritable homage to the evolution of the player piano from its earliest incarnations. A replica of Edwin Votey's prototype pnuematic piano was first in line followed by three subsequent versions of the Pianola. Those original push-up players were eventually replaced by the less cumbersome built-in mechanisms such as Melville Clark's _Apollo_. The _pi__è__ce du r__é__sistance_ of Weiss' collection was the Bechstein upright that had been fitted with Welte-Mignon player system to become a reproducing piano. Reproducing pianos were so called in their heyday because they were able to reproduce the individual styles and improvisations of the pianists who recorded for them. Beside this grand piece of history, stood a glass cabinet which was home to a number of music rolls containing recordings by Gershwin, Joplin and Rachmaninoff.

"Quite a stunning collection. I didn't know you collected these, Weiss..." Beresford gave a low whistle. He was genuinely amazed and completely engrossed in these technological wonders of years gone by.

"There are a lot of things about me that you don't know."

_Well, that's becoming increasingly evident._

"Must've cost a pretty sum..."

"It's taken a lifetime to get them all together. I'm planning to donate it to the park as an attraction."

"Very pretty... Hallo... what's this... this one has an interesting appendage dangling off the pump..." The British conductor ambled toward the Bechstein for a closer look. His fingers automatically reached for the device and pressed lightly against it.

"Don't touch it..."

The warning came too late. A loud hiss, then an earth shattering crack. There and then, Beresford fell backwards onto the ground unconscious.

This commotion brought Fritz flying into the room.

"Everything alright, boss?"

"He got a little bit too close..."

"What are we going to do with him?"

"Tie him up and stick him in the spare room."

_Too bad about Beresford. Curiosity killed that cat..._

_

* * *

  
_

_Author's Notes:_

_My apologies to Ms Ninomiya for turning Sebastiano Vieira and Franz Stresemann into strange bedfellows and many more apologies to the management of the Wurstelprater for abusing their beloved park._

_And my thanks to Angeleico and Shin-seirei for their encouraging and helpful reviews. I was beginning to wonder, however, if that last chapter was so very awful that no one would write and tell me so. If so, I hope this one makes up for it.  
_


	18. Chapter 17: The Darkness Sings

**Chapter 17**

"Play something for me, Nodame." Weiss suddenly remembered the presence of the young pianist.

"Why should Nodame play for you?" Nodame muttered sullenly.

"In celebration of love and music..."

"Celebration? Love?" _What do you know about either?_ "And if Nodame doesn't?" She asked defiantly. "Are you going to kill Nodame like you killed James?"

"Kill you?" Weiss scoffed. "Why would I want to do that? It would be like smashing a priceless Ming vase into a million pieces." After wondering how deep her interest in Beresford ran, he added, "If by 'James' you mean Beresford, he's fine... Just a little shell shocked." Weiss roared heartily, enjoying his own joke.

"It's not funny." Nodame scowled.

"Oh, I'm deadly serious but it's necessary to lighten the mood now and again."

"Well, Nodame is in no mood to play. Least of all for you."

"I hope you change your mind, Mrs Chiaki. You never know... the lives of your husband and your friends could be at stake."

"Are you threatening me?"

"You? Never... but I cannot guarantee the safety of the others. They must be punished." A little black radio attached to Weiss' belt cackled and screeched. He slipped it out of its hiding place and walked out of earshot to avoid being heard.

When that conversation was over, he returned and straightened his tie, "It looks like the cavalry has arrived. You, Megumi Noda... are just the right person tto play Ravel's _Les entretiens de la Belle et de la Bête..."_

* * *

The sound of car doors slamming shut could be heard two blocks away. Inspector Moser, showing workman-like efficiency, was the first to arrive and emerge. He was followed by a blaring contingent of transport vehicles and their occupants taking their turn to position their vehicles behind his. Amidst the blinking of lights and idling engines, the inspector gathered his officers around him and barked out orders. Moser was a minimalist but the men and women were accustomed to his modus operandi.

"Tread carefully. We don't know what little surprises await us. Our priority is to extricate Mrs Chiaki and bring her out alive."

In what appeared to be a matter of seconds, squads of uniform and plainclothes detectives were geared up and raring to surround the place. With the police scrambling around the park, the Wurstelprater instantly became a hive of activity.

"Is such a show of force, necessary, inspector?" Chiaki was surveying the place, looking concerned.

"Hard to say Mr Chiaki... but I certainly hope not. Now please go back into the car and let me do my job."

Feeling unjustly rebuked and powerless, Shinichi turned to return to the car, not at all looking forward to more waiting. That was when he heard his father call out from a distance.

"Shinichi..." The father looked like he was limping awkwardly towards his son.

"Dad... what are you doing here? I thought you went home."

"Well, I couldn't sleep so I thought I'd follow and see if everything was alright."

"You didn't have to."

"Of course, I did. My daughter-in-law is in some kind of trouble. My son needs me. Even if... I can't do much." He was speaking slowly and deliberately. "I want to be here."

"How did you find us?"

"I know a guy..."

Shinichi studied his father's face carefully before saying, "The police won't let me near the place. This is as close as it gets."

"Understandable..."

The two men stood in companionable silence, watching and waiting. Although not knowing what to say, Shinichi felt oddly comforted by the presence of his father next to him. While there were too many years lost between them for easy conversation, a seed of hope had been planted. Ironically, it was the woman for whom they were both fearful that had finally brought them together.

* * *

Ten minutes into the search and rescue, a member of the team raced up to the inspector with a poster-sized cardboard under his arm.

"We found this, sir..."

"Where?" Moser grabbed the note and spread it over the boot of his car.

"Over by the ball factory... the target seems to have barricaded the entire building. Couldn't get through the door, short of blowing it up. Thought you might want to see this first before we did that."

The note was printed in spectacular looking calligraphy... unnecessary, of course, but spoke volumes about the author's apparent need to assert his superiority.

_To whom it may concern_

_Let me start by assuring everyone that Mrs Chiaki is at present safe and that my intentions are entirely honourable.. However, I will be unable to guarantee her safety if members of the Vienna police force insist on storming through the premises armed for an all out attack. _

_I have a simple proposition that will require the cooperation of Messrs Chiaki, Stresemann and Vieira, all of whom I am quite certain are all eagerly awaiting news of Mrs Chiaki. If they are amenable, I wish to direct them to the Ball Factory but only them. If I so much as catch a faint whiff of trickery, I will release the cyniade gas into the air immediately and the world will mourn the loss of four great musicians._

_So what will it be... Inspector Moser? You have twenty minutes to respond so don't take too long._

"Damn..." The normally calm and collected let slip an expletive. From experience, the inclusion of civillians in such hostage situations was unpredictable – more often than not leading to sticky situations. Situations that he had very little control over. He didn't care for it at all. Nonetheless, the threat had to be taken seriously and assessed. Moser was well aware that he did not know Weiss well enough to be certain if the the threats were empty or real. Clearly though, the president of the Conductor's Guild was trying to remove the police from the equation... but to what end? There were too many questions... too many unknowns. Like it or not, he needed the conductors to force Weiss out into the open. So it was against all his better judgement that he strolled toward the three conductors to inform them of the good news.

* * *

"I don't like it."

"Like it or not, he specifically asked for us, inspector."

"I won't be able to protect you."

"I don't care. Nodame's safety is my only concern."

"At the risk of three other people? I don't like the maths."

"Stresemann and Vieira _sensei_ don't need to be there. I could go in alone. It's me he wants anyway."

"Of course, we do, Shinichi..." Vieira elbowed the German conductor next to him and glared at him. "Right Stresemann?"

"Yeah... sure..." Stresemann shuddered. _What are the chances of any of us coming out of this alive?_

"It's our choice, inspector."

"It's too late to wire you men." The inspector growled. "If you insist on committing this act of suicide... Chiaki, give me your mobile. Don't worry, I'll give it back to you. Leave it on and keep it with you at all times. At least we'll be able to keep tabs on you this way."

_It's alright, Nodame... I'm coming... Even if something happens... at least we'll be together..._

The younger Chiaki almost forgot that his father was there, listening to everything.

As he got ready to leave, his father spoke up. "Shinichi... Stay safe. Don't do anything reckless... I want to see you both at the wedding. _Both_ of you..."

"Dad..." Shinichi whose heart was already racing madly, was at a loss for words. "I...I..."

"It's okay... we can talk later. Just bring Nodame home. I'll be waiting right here."

Shinichi nodded hesitantly, turned around to take one last look at his father and headed for the designated meeting place.

* * *

The lights that were hung all around the ball factory glittered prettily in the darkness. An unlikely villain's lair. So this was to be their place of judgment. It was hardly a place to inspire awe or fear. The facade looked inoffensive, not so different from any other attraction in the park to suggest its importance. In a way, that was almost reassuring. The sort of place parents would gladly let their children loose in.

The double doors came together with a loud explosive-like boom behind them. In that second, the three men jumped thinking that their doom had come.

Inside, the ball factory looked like it had been stripped. Pipes, tubes, ducts, cords and other bits and pieces were strewn all over the floor.

"Charming..." Stresemann mumbled. "Weiss has been doing some redecorating..."

"Wonder if he really means what he said about... releasing cyanide gas..." Vieira cast his eye around the room for possible danger spots.

"Thanks. As if I need to be reminded about that."

"Ssshh... the two of you... sounds like someone's coming."

Sure enough soft footsteps were headed in their direction and in their wake emerged an untidy young man, dressed in a tatty shirt and jeans. He was making complaining noises in his native German and rattling a black box with metallic switches. Seeing the three men securely in the premises, he heaved a sigh of relief.

"Ah the remote control worked. The doors did close." The young man shook the black box in his hand. "These things are so unreliable."

"Who are you? Where's Weiss?"

"I'm Fritz... I've come to take you to him. But first these are your blindfolds."

"So we can expect to come back out alive?" Stresemann squeaked hopefully.

"It's hard to say with the boss... depends on what kind of mood he's in."

"And what sort of mood is he in?"

"He's being Othello at the moment." The boy called Fritz said circumspectly. "Or is Iago?"

_Dear God..._

"Either way, he's waiting for you..."

"Mrs Chiaki, is she alright?" Chiaki asked tentatively.

"She's alright... she's holding up better than expected."

Chiaki's shoulder slumped. _At least she's safe._

"But you guys should really worry about yourselves. You must've done something to really tick him off big time."

"Apparently..." Chiaki turned around and faced the two older with a grimness that added years to his handsome face. "So where are we going?"

"Down... gentleman... you are going down..."

* * *

Before any of them could say anything, an opening leading to a cavity in the floor boards opened up and sent them flying down to wherever "down" was. A trapdoor. Weiss was no doubt showing who was master of the situation.

"Kabuki... just like kabuki..." Chiaki frowned.

"Well, it is an amusement park." Vieira's good humour remained intact despite the unique circumstances. "Long time since I've been on a slippery slide. Good fun."

"Wonder where this leads to..."

_Nodame, I hope..._

"What's the point of the blindfolds... it's not like we'll be able to get back up there the way we're going down." Chiaki took his blindfold off and flung it over his shoulder disgusted. _Sheesh... what's the point of all this pretense. What's Weiss up to really?_

"Do you think there are snakes at the bottom?"

"Stresemann!"

"I hate snakes...and dying. And dying of snake bites."

"Stresemann... please..." _Wonder why we brought him along._

"Do you hear that?" Stresemann cocked his head to one side.

"Hear what?"

"That... the sound of a piano..."

**II**

Chiaki ran... as soon as they reached the bottom... as fast as his legs could carry him towards the music and the light. _It's her... She's playing... Les entretiens de la Belle et de la Bête from Ravel's __Ma Mère l'Oye. I'm getting close... Thank God she's alright..._

Forgetting himself or the reason why he was there, Chiaki stood at the entrance completely riveted by the piece. Her music, despite everything that had happened, was dazzling... _I'd rather die first than lose all this..._

"Nodame." Chiaki could barely speak or master the barrage of sensations that were threatening to overcome him. "I'm so glad."

The pianist stopped abruptly as if she had been woken while in the middle of a dream.

"Husband..." Nodame gasped and stood up. _He came... _A large weight fell of her shoulders. _For me..._

Weiss was grinning from ear to ear. "Hello Chiaki. You made it. Nodame was just giving me a personal recital. I can see why you find it hard to share her with anyone."

_It's not just about the music... you imbecile._ "Yeah, I made it." Nodame thought that Chiaki looked like he had just returned from a bad day with the orchestra. "Nodame... you okay?"

"Nodame's okay." _Better now that Shinichi's here._

"Good. C'mon... let's go... I'm going to take you home."

Nodame tried to wriggle her legs free. "I... I... can't..." _He can't see that I'm tied down._

"Not so fast, Chiaki. I didn't bring the lovely Mrs Chiaki here just so you can take her home just like that."

"Really." _I had to try... _"I hope I don't have to remind you that she is my wife."

"I haven't had my fun yet..."

"Sorry to disappoint. Nodame... let's go"

"Ah ah ah ah... you didn't think it was going to be so easy, did you?"

"This is absurd..."

Stresemann and Vieira by that time had caught up. They took their places behind Chiaki and peered over his shoulders.

"Alex, stop this ridiculous charade at once."

"Ah... so the great Franz Streseman has condescended to make his presence felt among us." Weiss made little attempt to keep the sarcasm out of his voice. "The great maestro speaks and the rest of all must obey."

"Alex... why... why drag Nodame into this? You have no quarrel with her. She's completely innocent. Why didn't you just come for us and leave her out of this?"

"Because she is important to you... all of you, Vieira... She is the focal point of everything. Without her, none of this would work. None of you would have come. None of you would have taken me seriously."

With Shinichi totally exhausted, mentally drained, it didn't seem too difficult for the older man to gain the upper hand in this battle of wits. After all, he had been preparing for this confrontation for weeks.

"If you so much as lay a finger on her, I will... I will..."

"What will you do, Chiaki?" Weiss was calm... too calm for Chiaki's liking. "Hurt me? Unlikely, in the condition that you're in right now. Don't worry she's more valuable to me alive and I get much more satisfaction proving to her that you are an unworthy husband than hurting her. Violence is messy and for barbarians. I am capable of much more finesse than that I would hope."

"What are you up to, Alex?" Stresemann shot him a dour look.

"I am going to turn her..."

"Turn her?" The other three men echoed.

Weiss nodded. "She is going to find out just what kind of evil you men are capable of."

* * *

"You are insane." Chiaki was trembling with indignation.

"Am I? Perhaps you're the one who's insane. Take you, for example. A young couple on their honeymoon – and what do they do with the most romantic time of their life? Work. It's laughable. Are they so dedicated to their craft that they are willing to forego the comforts of the marriage bed? Or are they hiding the truth which is the fact that their marriage is a sham. Perhaps the truth is that the husband can't wait to get away from his wife, leaving her vulnerable to the devices of a notorious ladies man. Perhaps the truth is, he doesn't love her as much as he claims to..."

"This is preposterous."

"Is it any more preposterous than a man abandon his wife for his job?"

"I did not abandon her. We agreed _together_ to do this. And don't forget that you connived to keep us apart as much as you could."

"Well... I will admit I helped matters along but the cracks were already there."

"What cracks? Don't speak of things you don't understand." Chiaki was almost shouting. "Why am I even trying to explain this to you?"

"From my perspective I understand that you've put the interests of the guild ahead of your marriage."

"So what if that's the case..."

"Ah... but remember you are the one who told me that a man can have ambitions and be a devoted husband."

"But what has any of this to do with you? Whatever decisions we make as a couple is our business, you are interfering in something that you have no right in doing so."

"It is my duty and my responsibility to protect her and her gift. Your ambitions will be her downfall. This marriage to you will be her destruction. The world will no doubt lose a great musical treasure as a result."

"Isn't that Nodame's choice?" The pianist attempted to throw in her two cents in the thick of the heated exchange. "Nodame wanted to marry Shinichi."

"Sssshhh... Nodame... you poor deluded creature... it's okay. I will fight for you." He brushed her off as if she was a weak-minded child.

"But I don't want you to fight for me."

"I stayed single so that I could devote myself to music. You can too."

"But I don't want to. I like being married to Shinichi."

In spite of all her protestations, Weiss was utterly oblivious. He was a man obsessed on one point... and no amount of reasoning, it would seem, was about to move him.

"Nodame, my dear. In time you will appreciate what I'm trying to do. You may not see it now but he is not a good husband for you."

"This is not for Herr Weiss to decide. Nodame has decided and Nodame is happy with her decision." From her entire expression, Nodame was clearly bewildered by the meaningless exchange. _And people think Nodame is strange?!_

"Don't you understand, Nodame... a man who puts his career ahead of his wife is not to be relied on."

Chiaki was exasperated. It was useless arguing with a brick wall. Weiss was immovable and was apparently not interested in playing by the rules. There was only one thing to do.

"Okay... you win, Weiss... you can have my job... and you're welcome to it."

Vieira and Stresemann waved their arms frantically, horrified at the prospect. "Shinichi... no... Have you gone mad..."

Weiss looked at the young conductor quizzically. "Just like that?"

"Why... were you expecting me to put up more of a fight? So you can play your mind games? Convince my wife that I am a soulless, ambitious moron unworthy of her."

"I thought..."

"Well, you thought wrong. You don't know anything... Weiss... it is because of _her_ that I have any ambitions left to follow. There is a history that you know nothing about so don't impose your history on mine. I _was_ a soulless, despondent moron but she... brought the joy of music back into my life..."

"Husband... Shinichi... you don't have to..."

"I do have to... he needs to know that his schemes are nothing... they are child's play. A bitter man who thinks that the world must suffer with him because he did not do what was necessary to get his heart's desire."

"You don't know anything about me!" Weiss snapped with a slight tremor in his voice.

"But I do." Stresemann re-entered the conversation with surprising energy.

"Stay out of this, Stresemann."

"You asked for us, remember? By name, I seem to recall." Stresemann looked unperturbed. Like a snake poised for attack. "Suddenly you don't want us here. I'm hurt, Alex."

"I doubt that."

Without warning Stresemann sobered. "Leave the young people alone, Alex. We are responsible for putting him into the position, so direct your anger at us."

"The great Franz Stresemann taking responsibility..." Weiss sneered. "This is a day of surprises."

"The gentle Alexander Weiss kidnapping a woman." Stresemann was unfazed by the obvious dig. "Is probably the biggest surprise of them all."

"I didn't kidnap..."

"So you say..." Stresemann paused for second and then continued. "But the bottom line is Anna's gone, Alex... nothing you say or do is going to bring her back."

"You leave her out of this, Franz..."

"How can I... when it's obvious that she's the reason behind this madness?"

"She's not!" Weiss was gesticulating wildly.

"She left you, Alex... but that was her choice."

"That man corrupted her..." Weiss was now mopping his brow feverishly.

"Maybe he did, maybe he didn't. But that doesn't make it less true that she made the choice to leave you."

"Stop it... stop it..." Sweat was pouring down his neck.

"You never quite forgave her... and yet you never stopped loving her..."

"Don't presume to know how I think or feel..."

"Then why do you do the same with Chiaki and Nodame..."

"Your affection for them blinds you..."

"Possibly but so does your affection for that woman." Stresemann took out his watch and looked at the time. "She was not the innocent you thought she was."

"You didn't know her." Weiss challenged.

"Didn't I? Can you be sure of that?" There was an inscrutable look on Stresemann's face. "There weren't too many men in our line of work she didn't know on an intimate level."

"You're abominable, Stresemann. Insinuating that she was a loose woman...."

"Well, you can't be sure that she wasn't... can you? Despite your brief association..."

"She loved me!"

"Yeah... so much that she married another..."

"Stop it..."

"I think you know the truth and always have but you just couldn't deal with it..."

"That's enough... No one is allowed to insult her memory."

* * *

While Stresemann was having his war of words with Weiss, Chiaki noiselessly stole over to Nodame's side and quickly untied the ropes. Once she became free of them, she threw her arms around him in glee. Something of the weariness she'd been feeling fell from her eyes.

"Shinichi... I missed you..." She murmured into his coat.

"I know... I miss..." The warmth of her person next to him made him feel that somehow he had come home. "I'm so glad..."

"You smell so good..." She snuggled up closer. "Much more than usual."

Chiaki was painfully tempted to kiss her but the thought that Weiss would swing around at an inconvenient moment and catch them in the act held him back. Now that he had her back in his arms, there was no letting go. Weiss would have to pry them apart with something akin to a crowbar.

Meanwhile, Chiaki watched as the puppet master was sounding more enraged by the minute. Still, he was no match for the calculating Stresemann, who was playfully sidestepping him at every turn.

_Stresemann sure knows how to push all the right buttons._

Neither of them, however, noticed that the music had not ceased despite the fact that Nodame was not longer tinkering with the keys. Ravel's _Beauty and the Beast_ was still humming in the background and the music was now coming from the piano itself.

* * *

In his rage, Weiss broke down and was sobbing bitterly. "Anna... no... Anna..." was all he would say repeatedly for some time.

Suddenly, as he did earlier, his demeanour changed completely. As if someone had flicked a switch. He wiped away the tears and made an ominous announcement.

"It doesn't matter... none of this matters anymore. None of you are leaving here alive." He wagged his finger in all seriousness.

_Well, maybe Stresemann pushed him a little bit too hard._

"What have you done, Alex?"

"That... piece... that Nodame was playing, _Beauty and the Beast_... I found a copy of the music roll played by the composer himself. When she stopped playing before... the music roll took over... it activated a mechanism that I placed in the Bechstein. If you don't play the right tune to counter it in time, it will release the cyanide contained in the pump. You only have one chance at this."

"How long do we have?"

"Ten... no... five minutes..."

"Well, tell us what the tune is..."

"No... not on your life.. if you're so smart... you work it out..."

"Alex... tell us..."

"Never..."

Weiss backed away from the rest of the party and in his haste, tripped over a piece of cord that stretched from the Bechstein to the power outlet on the other side of the room. He fell back and hit his head. In an instant, he was knocked out cold.

"Great... just when we need him too..." Stresemann bent over and reached to feel Weiss' pulse. "Well at least he's not dead."

Vieira sighed. "How are we going to work out which tune it is? We may as well resign ourselves to being gassed to death."

"Can't we just try to get out of here..."

"In five minutes? How? We didn't come in through the front door."

Chiaki groped around desperately for an answer. Everything Weiss did and said meant something. All of sudden, he stood up straight and asked. "Nodame... was it his idea for you to play _Beauty and the Beast_?"

"Sure, husband... he said I was the right person to do it... He said I had the child-like quality to convey the beauty and texture of the piece."

"Where's that piece of paper... where's that piece of paper..." Chiaki fumbled through his pockets, muttering to himself.

"What is this, husband?"

"He sent everyone in the hotel these childish rhymes... some of them well-known nursery rhymes... Sometimes in English, they are called Mother Goose... _Ma Mere l'Oye_..."

"Do you still have them, Chiaki?"

"I think so..." _If I haven't left them in the car.._. "But only the ones he left at the dressing room."

The search didn't take long. "I found it!" He yelled desperate and relieved.

Instantly, everyone crowded around Chiaki to have a better look.

"There are four different rhymes here... so which one is it?" The young conductor murmured.

"How can we choose? There's nothing to indicate a connection with the Bechstein."

"Try the third one... it's the only one with Japanese in it..." Nodame exclaimed excitedly.

Chiaki turned to look at his young wife. _It does make a certain kind of sense...._

_He said I was the right person to do it... He said I had the child-like quality to convey the beauty and texture of the piece._

"The third one, it is..."

"Are we sure about this? We only get one chance, remember."

"Considering his obsession with Nodame... There's a certain logic to it. Furthermore, of all of us who is the best placed to understand how he thinks?"

Silence reigned. An imaginary clock was ticking in the background. Everyone knew that the longer they tarried, the shorter their chances.

"It's our best bet..."

"Just do it Chiaki." Stresemann offered his hand to Vieira and both men shook hands. "Just in case we don't make it... it was... er... nice... er... doing business with you, Vieira."

"You too... Stresemann..."

Chiaki resisted a desire to smile. Strange bedfellows... my two mentors. "Nodame, why don't you play it? I'll sit with you."

"Er... but Nodame doesn't know it..."

"I'll hum it..." _Let's hope I remember it correctly._

Chiaki had no trouble recalling the melody. It was a simple one... annoyingly repetitive. There was something memorable about _Pop Goes the Weasel_, despite its incomprehensible words to the unenlightened... and helped by the fact that every single music toy since the invention of musical toys has it in its repertoire. A catchy number that lingers...

"Are we going to die?" Nodame asked mournfully.

"I don't think so... Just play it... I believe in you, Nodame..." _I always have._

"I hope we go to heaven together..."

"Just play it." Annoyed, all three men shouted in unison.

The pianist closed her eyes. Her hands glided along the keyboard as she attempted to transpose the music. In mind's eye, she pictured a monkey chasing the weasel, up and down the tree, the house and everywhere her imagination took her. Carried away by the moment, she picked up the pace.

So immersed was she in what she was doing, Nodame was blissfully unaware that the player piano mechanism was hissing frantically and making a whole gamut of ear-splitting and foreboding noises under the keyboard. Smoke was rising out of the Bechstein and rapidly surrounding the room.

Reacting quickly, Chiaki pushed her off the piano and they both tumbled onto the floor. He threw himself on top of her and immediately cupped her chin and covered her lips with his. No hesitation, no doubts. In that moment all feelings of fear left him. _At least you can't get into trouble without me now. _Like a man who had completely embraced his fate, he gave himself over to the kiss. All the things he wanted to say but couldn't was embodied in that moment... the sweetness of their lips fused together for one final time. Chiaki closed his eyes and surrendered all his emotions, allowing himself to be crushed by the potent symphonic strains that filled his mind.

_So many things... so little time... _

_Still not everybody gets to die with the person they love._

_My only regret... is that we never got to perform together..._

_My beloved..._

* * *

_**Author's Notes:**_

_Chapters 16 and 17 were originally meant to be one chapter but it just got longer and longer and very unwieldy. I didn't feel comfortable leaving you hanging with just the previous chapter and yet I felt that trying to force the two chapters together would be over much. Anyhow, I don't mind saying it was a tough two chapters to put together. I had all these bits of dialogue in my head and it wasn't just about organizing them chronologically but deciding who should say what etc. and trying work out the backdrop to them._

_Thank you for waiting and reading. Please don't ever hesitate to leave any comments you may have._

_Thanks to all the amazing people who wrote and said how much **We Don't Say Goodbye** moved them. It was very reassuring especially when I was imagining how much hate mail I was going to get for it._

_Credit must be given to the Player Piano Page for the useful information I received regarding the history and technical specs of the Pianola in its various incarnations.  
_


	19. Chapter 18: The Dawn of a New Day

**Chapter 18: The Dawn of a New Day**

_**Author's Notes: **_

_It's odd to me that anyone would think that chapter 17 was the end of this tale. It is, after all, a sequel to _A Roman Holiday_, which was a harmless piece of fluff. I realise that I'm completely merciless where Chiaki is concerned :D but that said I don't throw exactly throw sad endings around for breakfast. Out of the dozen Nodame stories that I've written only one of them counts as having a sad ending so it's a bit strange that anyone would assume that this story would end in tragedy. Frankly speaking I thought my story was pretty formulaic in so far as it follows the conventions of crime fiction and with that in mind, it's obligatory almost for the main characters to be in jeopardy of some sort for dramatic purposes._

_But please read on and be assured that no one dies in this story. Really. ;-)  
_

* * *

_A dark tunnel... a crack of light breaking through. A slight figure running towards it. He is desperately trying to keep up. He recognizes her and reaches out to her._

Senpai_... _senpai_... do you see it? The light. If we will just follow it._

_Nodame... nodame... hold my hand..._

_It's okay _senpai_, I'll be alright... we both will._

_Nodame... don't leave me. Take my hand_

_I'll be fine._

_Nodame... don't..._

Chiaki woke up to the sound of a beeping blood pressure monitor attached to his arm and found himself restrained by a tube connected to an overhanging drip. Cold sweat trickled down his neck and face as he tried to overcome the jitters triggered by the dream.

A familiar figure in a plain brown overcoat was standing over him, playfully twirling a cigar.

"Where am I?" Chiaki's vision was somewhat blurred but what little he saw told him that his surroundings were entirely unfamiliar.

"Welcome back to the land of the living, Mr Chiaki. Not that you actually left it, of course."

"Where am I?" Chiaki repeated his question, still groggy and weak. Not however lucid enough to be cantankerous.

"If specifics is what you want, you're currently convalescing in the Vienna General Hospital."

"Hospital?" Chiaki groaned, trying desperately to make head and tail of his predicament. "What happened? Was there some kind of accident?" As the questions flooded his mind, the dream was quickly forgotten.

"You don't remember? You breathed in an unhealthy amount of knockout gas."

"I did?" Images of familiar faces flashed before his eyes. "Knockout gas?" Chiaki was squinting to put names to faces while battling a heavy head and limbs that were refusing to coooperate.

"The stuff that sends people to sleep."

Whether the temporary amnesia was completely or partially responsible for Chiaki's inability to process these disparate bits of information into a coherent whole, it didn't not prevent him from battling valiantly to regain mastery of his mental faculties.

"Why am I having trouble remembering all that?" He asked wearily.

"It's probably an effect of being gassed. I'm sure it'll pass."

For the next few minutes, Chiaki made an effort to put the pieces of his life together as he ticked off a mental checklist.

_My name is Shinichi Chiaki... I am a conductor. I was born in Japan and spent my formative years in Europe. My mother is Seiko Miyoshi and my father is Masayuki Chiaki, the pianist. My parents divorced when I was 12. I left Europe and went back to Japan. I attended Momogaoka College of Music as a piano major. It was there I met..._

"Nodame!" Crying out her name seemed to have the desired therapeutic effect. In a matter of seconds, the strange happenings of the past few days flooded to clear his hazy mind. He was ready to leap out of his bed, tubes and all, only to be held back by his sluggish limbs.

The man in the brown suit was quick to reassure him. "She's fine... She's gone for a walk. I was wondering when you'd get to asking about her."

"A walk? How long was I out for?" He asked regretfully. _Just my luck to miss her again._

"A day."

"A day!"

"You were pretty badly hit... more than she was." The inspector had a strange smile on his face.

"So she's alright?"

"Oh, absolutely... in fact, she's been by your bedside since regaining consciousness but started to get the hunger pangs."

_Hunger pangs... geeze... that woman... when I could be dying._ "She's obviously back to normal then."

"Her appetite was ravenous... Can't believe someone so small can fit that much food in."

"Yeah, it's quite an experience the first time."

"She wanted to look in on the others – Herr Stresemann and Herr Vieira..."

"And they're alright?"

"Still weak but definitely in the clear."

"Good... I'm glad..." Chiaki gave a deep sigh. "It's been a horrifying few days."

"I'll bet."

"And for a while there, inspector, I wasn't sure we were going to make it out of there alive."

* * *

"Nodame, are you sure you want to do this?" Vieira _sensei _had made his objections known earlier.

"I'll be okay. He never tried to hurt me."

"He tried to kill us, remember?" Stresemann was busy squinting into a mirror, nursing the bruises on his cheek. "Damn... these bruises... I've got a concert in a week's time. Wonder if make up will do the trick."

"That was later and when he was provoked by a certain someone..." Nodame glared at the German conductor who seemed blissfully oblivious to her insinuation.

Vieira _sensei_ was not satisfied and still had reservations. "Are you sure it's necessary? Want me to come with you?"

Nodame shook her head decisively. "No... no... I need to do this alone. Besides you two are still weak and in pain. Rest up. I'll come and see you two later."

"Be careful, Nodame... his is a mind in turmoil."

"I know... which is why I must do this..."

* * *

As she strode down the corridor, she heard a familiar voice bellowing objections in one of the nearby rooms. Nodame recognized the voice as that belonging to a certain British conductor and knocked on the door.

"Unless you're offering me a glass of whiskey and a good time, don't bother coming in." was the irascible response.

"Hi James." Her small friendly face peered into the room warily. She saw an attractive female taking his blood pressure details and Beresford looking entirely disgruntled.

"A timely distraction... just as good..." He motioned for her to approach. "I was beginning to die of boredom in here."

"I heard you shouting." Nodame giggled.

"I think the entire hospital heard him shouting." The nurse rolled her eyes and then gave Nodame a quick smile before closing the door behind her.

Beresford patted the chair next to him for her to sit. "Well, my dear, you don't seem the worst for wear."

"Huh?"

"You look good for someone who's been through a major ordeal."

"God was looking after me."

"Well, somebody was." He looked her over quickly. "Not even a jolly scratch."

"I just wanted to see if you were okay."

"Considering that I was zapped by a bolt of lightning..." Beresford saw the look of horror on her face and hastily added "Well... almost anyway. I'll live."

"I'm glad." Nodame exclaimed enthusiastically. Relieved and delighted.

He lowed his voice and spoke to her with a conspiratorial air. "You don't happen to have a flask of whiskey or a cigarette on you, do you?"

Nodame shook her head regretfully and was trying hard not to laugh.

Both sat for some moment in silence, unsure what to say. Beresford drummed his fingers nervously on the sheets. It was, Nodame, however, that broke the silence.

"Why did you go there?"

"Go there?"

"To the amusement park. You knew I was there. Did you come to help me?"

"Well, I wasn't much help, was I?" Beresford responded gruffly while deftly evading the question.

"You were very brave." Nodame said gently. "Thank you."

"I've been called many things in my life. Brave? Never... ha!" Beresford immediately averted his eyes. "Brave is the last thing I am."

"You're a good person..."

Beresford snorted. "Now, that is something else I've never been accused of being."

"Well, you are... you just don't know it yet."

_Is this why he fell for her? Such disarming naivete... No doubt she is special and it's not just the music..._

"Anyway, James... I should go... there's someone else I need to see." She rose to leave but he own hand leapt up to stay her arm. Almost involuntarily.

"Nodame... I... er... I..." For the first time in his adult life, his wits failed him.

"What is it?" She asked kindly seeing the agony in Beresford's face.

"You... ah... played... ah... very well the other night." He paused fleetingly to gather his thoughts. "I was thinking...that... It would... er... be... a great honour... for me... er... if you'd accept an invitation to peform as guest soloist with the London Symphonia."

Nodame's eyes grew unnaturally large and her face was a mix of perplexity and mounting excitement. Her mouth opened and closed like a goldfish.

"You don't have to decide immediately, of course... talk it over with Chiaki when you're both feeling rather more like yourselves."

"Me? You want Nodame to play with your orchestra?" She said when she could finally utter the words. Her tone was one of complete astonishment.

"Absolutely." _Such childlike enthusiasm. No pretensions at all. Despite being a Tilburn finalist she really has no sense of how stunningly good she is._ "Would you be interested?"

_Unbelievable. She really is the genuine article._

"Would I be interested? Would Nodame be interested? Of course..." She danced gleefully on the spot and then surprised Beresford when she threw her arms around him excitedly, following that with another dance.

"Nodame will make her London debut with the London Symphonia." She struck a dramatic pose, her left hand on the hip, her right arm in the air.

To show her gratitude, she leaned over to kiss Beresford lightly on the forehead.

"This is wonderful news. I must go tell Shinichi." She patted him on the shoulder. "I'll be back, James."

"Well, I'm not going anywhere." Beresford allowed himself a grin as he watched her saunter merrily out the door.

_Weiss was at least right about one thing... she is a treasure..._

Closing the door behind her, a sobering thought tampered her enthusiasm. Nodame was reminded that there was still that matter of unfinished business with a certain conductor. _I need to see him. If for no other reason but to... _

* * *

"I suppose we have you to thank for that we're not in a body bag somewhere."

"If it had've been cyanide, it would've been an entirely different story.

"So it wasn't cyanide?"

"Apparently not."

"So he was just trying to scare us?"

"It would seem. But knockout gas can do a lot of damage even if it doesn't kill you right away."

"How did we get out of there?"

"We found you... just in time..."

"Did he really expect to get away with it?"

"His was undoubtedly mentally disturbed. We've been talking to his doctors. He was on medication – or supposed to be. Found different types of anti-depressants at his place. Some untouched. Still I don't expect any court will convict him anway. He'll probably spend the rest of his life in a psychiatric facility."

"Have you found out why? What his motives were? Was it really because of unrequited love? Was Anna Montgomery the reason?"

"I'm no expert... just a humble policeman. But everything points to her death being the trigger. Although, in my experience, it's seldom just the one thing."

"Would he have hurt Nodame?"

"The doctors don't think so... so long as he saw her as his ideal and not as a threat."

"But they can't be sure..."

"In my profession, we learn quickly that nothing is certain except death... and the evil that humans are capable of."

"Must be depressing."

"It's not all bad. I learn to appreciate the good with the bad." The inspector fixed his gaze on Chiaki. "You realize, of course, that that was a completely reckless thing you did back there."

"Yeah, in hindsight, we could have been more circumspect about how we approached Weiss."

"I didn't mean that..."

"Oh... that..." Chiaki blushed turning away from the inspector's eagle eyes. "Things got pretty crazy in there."

"Love has a way of making people do things they wouldn't normally."

"I don't know... I don't think I've ever felt more responsible or helpless in my life. All I knew is I had to do something."

"So you did. Foolishly brave thing..."

"I'm not brave." Chiaki tried to hide his embarrassment. "There wasn't anything brave about what I did."

"Really?"

"It was purely an act of self-preservation."

"Oh yes?"

"I... didn't want to have to live with the guilt of bringing all this on her..."

"That's all?"

"I... I... just don't ever want to see an empty piano and be reminded that she's not there to play it."

"I see." The inspector nodded encouragingly. _This must be the famous Japanese reserve I've heard so much about._

"A world without Nodame is not worth thinking about."

Moser said nothing.

"People don't really understand what she's about. I didn't either, for a while. She is difficult to... understand – there was a childhood incident that traumatized her and retarded her musical progress. But when she and the piano come together, it's like it all make sense.

"Music is, quite literally, in her blood. It doesn't matter how many rules she breaks, the spirit of the piece pervades her playing. The pictures and the images she creates are so vivid, so vibrant that it comes alive in one's imagination.

"She's like a child obsessed with her make-belief world and somehow she manages to draw everyone into the fantasy long enough for them to believe that there is beauty and goodness in the world.

"It is as if heaven chose the most unlikely, the most unspectacular gift box and placed in it this amazing musical box. Once opened, it pulls in the listener and captivates him. And the more time he spends with it, the more the music haunts him. So much so that you never want to let it go."

"And that listener... is you...?"

Chiaki did not reply. He didn't have to. The gleam of a single tear trickling down his cheek said it all.

* * *

"Why did you come? To gloat... to make fun of me... to kick a man when he's down?" Weiss looked like he'd aged twenty years. Although she maintained her composure, Nodame was secretly relieved to see that Weiss was handcuffed to the railing of the bed.

"Herr Weiss, do you really believe that? Then you're in a more pitiful state than I thought."

"Pity... is this what this is about... pity? I don't need your charity." Weiss mumbled with a dull belligerence.

"I didn't come to give you charity... I came to give you my thanks..."

"Thanks?"

"I came to thank you for a precious gift."

"Whatever for... I can only imagine that this is a joke."

"Nodame is not joking." She went over and hugged him in earnest. "Thank you for showing Nodame that she married a brave and amazing man. Now she knows that he loves her more than his own life."

"It wasn't my intention..."

"I know... but you did... I was wrong about you. You're not a bad man... just a sad boy who wanted to be loved."

"To be in love is merely to be in a state of perceptual anesthesia." Weiss was lost in his thoughts. A sleepwalking in a sleepless dream.

"Now, Nodame must go and rest... I'm tired... You rest too, Herr Weiss." Nodame made her move to leave and glanced once more at the pitiful figure.

"Nodame..." He called out to her with more of a spark in his voice.

"Huh..."

"Why Chiaki... why him?"

Nodame thought a while before saying, "Because he believes in me. When nobody else thought I could, he believed in me."

* * *

"She's that amazing, eh?"

"And maddening. She has no sense of decorum in ordinary things. Her life would be in shambles without anyone to pick up after her."

"And that's where you come in."

"It seems to be my lot in life." Chiaki grunted and made a show of being ill-used. "To create some kind of order in the chaos that is Megumi Noda."

"You don't seem all that unhappy about it." The inspector remarked shrewdly.

"The music more or less makes up for it." Chiaki added flippantly.

"I see... so it's a mutually benefical business arrangement." Moser folded his arms.

"Huh..."

"You exchange benefits and throw a few extras in."

"A few extras in? WHAT? What the hell are you talking about?"

"Tsk, tsk, tsk... no need to be so sensitive. It sounds to me to be an ideal situation. I envy you. A good deal all round."

"WHAT?... don't make it sound so cold and calculating... it's not like that at all."

"Isn't it? One good turn deserves another. A conductor by night and a housekeeper by day and by his side, the pianist who is his muse."

"Housekeeper? Muse? She's not my muse for goodness sake. And I'm most certainly not her housekeeper."

_Sheesh... Is this guy for real? Nodame my muse?_

"Nothing to be embarrassed about, Chiaki. At least she's not marrying you for your money."

So saying, the inspector picked up his hat and placed it firmly on his head. "Time for you to have some rest and for me to leave."

As Moser left the room and out of sight, a small smile formed on his lips.

_Ah well... no harm done... always good to give them something to think about..._

* * *

Chiaki was dozing off when he heard the door creaking, followed by an ill-disguised sound of shuffling feet. Curious and somewhat concerned for his own safety, he pressed the light switch on the remote

"Husband! You're awake." The startled intruder dropped the object she was carrying.

"Why are you sneaking around in my room?".

"It's my room too. I just didn't want to wake you." She said sheepishly pointing to the bed beside his.

"Where have you been?"

"Visiting... some friends..."

"How are Vieira _sensei_ and the old man?"

"They are well except for some cuts and bruises."

"And you? How are you?"

"Nodame is feeling... over the moon..."

"You're in a good mood."

"Nodame is feeling great..." She waltzed around the room gaily until she noticed the wistful, crestfallen look on his face.

_She was off on one of her adventures again... without me. Will it always be like this?_

"Shinichi... what's wrong?" She ran to his side and jumped onto his bed.

"Owww... hey watch where you land. Unlike some people, some of us are still sore."

"Ooops... sorry." She instantly felt guilty, only too aware of the reason why she had got off relatively unscathed. "It's my fault..."

Chiaki's demeanour softened immediately and his fingers reached to fondle her cheek. "I have no regrets. I'd gladly do it again."

Nodame snuggled up closer so that her head would sit comfortably on his shoulder. "_Anata_... I missed you."

"I missed you too... Nodame." He whispered past her ear. "Things have been a little crazy lately."

"We're together again... the golden pair..."

"I really messed things up, didn't I... With you particularly."

"Shinichi... it's okay... I don't blame you..."

"Damn it Nodame... I'm trying to apologize... so let me."

"I'm trying to tell you that you don't need to."

"Yes, I do... there are things I have to say. I'm afraid that if I don't say them now, I won't ever do it."

This time there was no interruption. She sensed the urgency in his voice and waited expectantly for him to speak. He did look like he was ready to burst.

"You were right about my father. He's changed. Maybe he hasn't... maybe I'm the one with selective memory. I can't say if I'll have a normal relationship with him but I'm ready to find out. And I... need your help."

"Of course, husband."

"He's invited us to his wedding."

"I know."

"I don't know how I feel about that." Chiaki said tentatively before exclaiming in surprise, "You know?"

"Sure... he dropped by earlier today to see us and left a couple of things behind. Insisted that we should stay with him at the old family house. Can we, can we? It's an wonderful place. I can't wait to see Shinichi's bedroom."

"If you want to..."

"Mukya... Nodame can't wait!"

Her enthusiasm died when she saw how serious he had become. "Don't you want to..."

"Nodame, I don't want to become my father... I don't want to make the mistakes he made."

"You won't."

"But I have already... with you..."

"Huh?"

"I'm thinking of resigning." There was a distinct quiver in his voice.

"Resigning? From what?"

"From my position in the guild... idiot... where else?"

"But why... you loved the guild."

"I'm not leaving the guild." Chiaki snapped impatiently. "Just resigning from the secretary's position."

"But why... you were so excited... I thought it was just a lie to throw Weiss off."

"A day ago... I almost lost you... I could have lost you..."

"Nothing was going to happen to me, husband."

"What if something did... we can't be too sure..."

"I'm sure. Weiss was a very sad man with a very sad life. He just wanted to be taken seriously and mostly to be loved. For some reason he chose me to tell the world about his pain but in the end, I don't think he had enough courage to go any further."

"Didn't have enough courage?! He did enough!"

"He was just a sad little boy. He wanted to be loved but nobody loved him back so he never grew up. It's so sad, really."

"Hmph..."

"I really feel sorry for him... even his music couldn't give him peace."

"You're very forgiving. I don't know if I could... after what he did..."

"Well, I've had many years of practice with you."

"Hey... what are you saying..." He sat up and flashed her one of his dark, threatening looks.

"But you shouldn't resign. It's not necessary."

"It is. Weiss was right about one thing. I was selfish."

"He was wrong about that... When that piano went crazy, you weren't thinking about yourself..."

"That's different..."

In contrast to his uncertainty and diffidence, his wife's voice rang confidently and clearly. As if overnight, she was a woman who had grown again and was ready to take on the next hurdle. As much as she was offering comfort, she was issuing a challenge.

"I chose to be with you, Shinichi, a long time ago... knowing very well who you are and what you're destined for. Of course, it doesn't mean that I'm satisfied with living in your shadow. So becareful, husband, because one day it is you who will have to catch up to me.

"It makes me happy to know that you are willing to sacrifice your own dreams for my sake. But I don't want you to. The price is too high and I hate the idea of living the rest of my life feeling obligated. I can't live up to it. It is hard, I know, to find the balance but we must find our own way to be the golden pair.

"Shinichi, you and I are not like other people. We are born to make music. We live our entire lives surrounded by a community that most people will never be a part of. And yet, people know us even if we don't know who's watching us from far away. We touch them with our music and then as silently we leave. We cannot know what they're thinking or how our music will affect them. We can only hope that our music will bring joy and not sadness to their lives.

Chiaki was both moved and shamed by her words. She was not one for speeches and it reminded him again how much he'd underestimated her. Her potential for growth seemed endless. The fact that she was prepared to struggle to find a space that was theirs showed that she was just as committed to the relationship as ever.

Chiaki leaned over his wife and gazed tenderly into her shining eyes. "Since when did you start growing a brain?"

"I've always had a brain, it's just that I don't think like other people."

"Well I can't argue with that."

"That's why you fell madly in love with me, right?"

"However I may fulfill your fantasies... Mrs Chiaki" He leaned closer still and brushed his lips against her before pressing more firmly against them. All the intensity built up over the last few days found their object. The malady that had driven him to near madness had found its remedy.

The recepient, caught unawares by these fervent overtures, was completely at his mercy. What else was she to do except respond in kind? Instinctively her eyes closed and her body succumbed to the scorching sensations of her pleasures senses.

In a rare moment, when he released her, she came up for air.

"How can I fulfill yours, Mr Chiaki?" She murmured breathlessly, revelling in the scent of the man who was drowning her with his passionate embrace.

"Don't stop now."

Amidst the rustling of sheets and the creaking of springs, he heard a small voice penetrate through his amorous fog.

"Do you think the hospital will let us have a bigger bed?"

The husband looked up, irritated at the interruption. "What sort of question is that?"

"Muki... I can't work like this..."

"Work?"

"How can I be expected to perform my wifely duties under such conditions?"

"Nodame... just shut up..." And that he made sure of by taking control of her lips.

And so she did, the obedient and submissive wife that she was.

* * *

_**Author's Notes:**_

_I suppose it does have a finished feel to it and I guess I can quite easily end it all here but I will most likely include one more chapter... probably an epilogue just to tie up all the threads._

_But don't let me stop you from reviewing or giving any comments you may have. :D_

_Just in case I don't get to the epilogue, I'd like to say that this will probably be my last Nodame story for a while. It largely depends on the outcome of the manga and where that goes. However, I'm embarking on another writing project and am in the process of developing the ideas for it. I won't say too much just in case it doesn't quite work out.  
_

_The quote used by Weiss has been attributed to HL Mencken.  
_


	20. Chapter 19 and Epilogue

**Chapter 19 **

**Author's Notes:**

_Not the epilogue I had promised. At least not yet. There was one last thing I felt I had to get out of my system. It was something I introduced as an issue in Chiaki and Nodame's relationship earlier on so I felt it was important that I deal with it and give that aspect of the story some kind of closure._

* * *

Their suitcases were lying on the floor opened. Her things, shoes, clothes and papers were still scattered chaotically around the room. His were already folded and organized neatly into distinct piles ready to be put away. She was sitting cross-legged on the bed unconcerned about the trivialities of packing. Oblivious to time, she was absorbed in the contents of a large off-white spiral bound book.

"I'm sorry that things didn't work out as planned, Nodame... This entire trip was a disaster from beginning to end." Her husband had a glum look on his face as he did a final inspection of the room for any forgotten items.

"It wasn't a complete disaster." She gave him a reassuring glance.

"Well, maybe... but your recitals... one interrupted and the other cancelled. It's not really what we had in mind when we talked about our working honeymoon adventure."

"I can't say I'm not disappointed about those but I did get a few bookings... so it hasn't been all bad. After all an adventure is not an adventure without the element of surprise. "

"That's why I don't like surprises... especially ones that include near-death experiences."

"You're such a wet blanket..."

"It's because I value my life... thank you very much. Believe it or not, some of us here actually live in the real world." Her husband observed wryly.

Noticing that her things were still in disarray and that she had not lifted a finger to put them away, Chiaki climbed onto the bed by her side and ruffled her hair.

"Aren't you going to pack your things? We have a train to catch in an hour."

"Plenty of time." She brushed him off casually while still preoccupied with her book..

"You're expecting me to do all the packing, aren't you?" He rolled his eyes exasperated.

"Of course not." was the nonchalant reply.

_Sure. How are you going to cope when you're on tour without me? _The thought struck him then that she would be off on occasion by herself, working and making music without him. This didn't appeal to him one whit. It was something he was still not ready to deal with but would have to eventually. They were two working musicians with separate careers. There would be times that their working lives would intersect but it would be a herculean task -- a juggling act that would try their patience, test their resolve and their commitment to one another. He recalled Vieira _sensei_'s admonishment with much sobriety and he knew full well that they had chosen for themselves a difficult path. Yet he was content... for now... she was by his side, ready for the next challenge. They would have to deal with each one as it arose and already it was clear that there would be many.

She, on the hand, who was not privy to his thoughts, looked like she had not a care in the world. Her eyes were still glued to the book in front of her and occasionally she would interrupt her meditations with a giggle or one of her signature squeals. It didn't take long for Chiaki to catch on that something in the book was capturing her attention.

"What's so interesting about this book?" He asked, trying to get a glimpse of the cover.

"Nothing... nothing... Just do your packing, husband." She did her best to look indifferent but it only served to rouse his interest further.

"Not until you let me have a look..."

"It's nothing... really..."

"Why so secretive then? What are you hiding?" So saying he reached for the item in question and attempted to wrench it from her.

After a bit of a tug-of-war, he tore it from her grasp. "Muki... give it back to me..." She protested indignantly. The result of that tussle was her falling off the bed while he disappeared into the other side of the room with the prize.

Realising immediately that he was holding onto a photo album, Chiaki skimmed through its pages in increasing astonishment at their significance. It was a collection of _his_ family photos... memories of days long gone. Memories of things he had long suppressed because thinking about them had been too painful. Memories he had been happy to forget.

"Where did you get this?" He gulped, pushing back a myriad of emotions.

"If you must know, it's from your father. He dropped it off at the hospital the other day. _Mukya_... you didn't have to be so rough..." She was pouting and rubbing her arm.

"He kept all these?" _I didn't know... I always thought he just didn't care enough..._

"Apparently. Now, can Nodame have it back?"

"Only if we can look at it together."

"Do you really want to, husband?" Nodame looked surprised. "You never talk about your childhood. Nodame knows that you hate your childhood."

"I don't hate my childhood..." Chiaki snapped and winced when he saw her flinch. _I'm doing it again._ "Nodame... I...I don't hate it... Well, not the good parts. There were good times. I... just didn't want to think about or talk about _him_."

"Because it reminds you of him?"

"Sort of. But mostly because it reminds me that he wasn't there." He gave a loud, heavy sigh. "And when he was, it felt like he didn't want to be there." Talking about his father was always going to trigger an emotional upheaval in him but for her sake, he had to. It had led to tensions between them before and he had to give her the assurance she needed that the past would not come between them in the future. "He never came to see me once in Japan. It was like I didn't exist."

"I'm sorry... husband... I didn't mean to cause you pain." Her eyes were turning watery and she gazing at his tortured face sorrowfully.

Chiaki shook his head and squeezed her hand with conviction."You have the right to know... I mean... we are married now, right?" Outwardly, he gave her a reassuring smile but inwardly, he was wrestling with a gamut of emotions that he thought he had left behind.

"Yeah... we are..." She returned the smile as tears rolled down her face. Instinctively she understood. She understood how hard it was for him to face this part of himself. Snuggling up closer, she commented, "Husband was so cute as a boy. I'm sure our children will be too."

"What if they look like you?"

"Then they are doomed to eternal ugliness..."

"Hey... nobody talks about my wife like that. Not even my wife." His arm curled round her shoulder and tweaked her nose. "She's not ugly... she's an acquired taste..."

"What is that supposed to mean?" Narrowing her eyes irately, she demanded to know.

"It means that only I truly appreciate the beauty of the woman inside and out."

"That's better..." She retreated back into the crook of his arm and was lost in her own thoughts.

It was the first time they had really talked about this subject matter seriously. She had been afraid before but now it seemed like he was showing a new found openness to the idea. It was better than she had hoped. Still she had to broach the subject cautiously.

"Husband... how many children should we have..."

"I've never thought about how many. Why? How many do you have in mind?" Chiaki wasn't sure if he should be nervous or terrified by the question.

"At least three... I think... maybe four..."

"Four!! Don't you want to be a working pianist?"

"Sure... I can take them on tour with us..."

"You're joking right?"

"I'm serious! It is good to expose children to live musical performances at a young age."

"But... but... not when they're babies..."

"Especially when they're babies... Anyway, you can watch them while I'm busy... We are the golden pair right?" She declared airily as if it was a given.

"I don't remember babies being part of that equation." He noted.

"Scared, are you?"

"It's not that..." _Well, maybe I am._ "I don't know if we can be trusted with that many children."

"_Anata_... you'll be a great father!"

"I don't know about that. Think of my history... my own father... they weren't ideal conditions. He wasn't the greatest of role models"

"You're nothing like your father... Anyway, you're good with Yuiko..."

"Well..."

"And who was it who took care of me the past nine years..."

_That's a good point._ "But that's different."

"How different can that be? Cooking, cleaning, nagging, worrying..."

"Looks like I have my work cut out for me." He muttered with practiced irascibility.

"You'll do a great job... I speak from experience."

"But three... four... children... that's very different."

"Practice makes perfect... right?..."

"At the price of whose sanity?"

"Don't worry, Shinichi Chiaki... I, Megumi Chiaki, will make it worth your while..." She had a wicked gleam in her eye. "Every single time..."

"What is that supposed to mean?"

"It means this..." Mischievously, she fingered the buttons on his shirt suggestively as a taste of things to come. Her fingers travelled nimbly to his collar, neck and lips. Showing unexpected strength she jerked him forward while plying his face with languorous kisses.

Diving into the spirit of things, Chiaki put up little resistance. "We have a train to catch... remember... and check out time is..." He was heard mumbling between kisses. "I'm still not packing your suitcase for you..."

"Of course not..."

----------------------------------------------

_This is Vienna Channel Six News._

_Also in the news comes the arrest of a suspect in an unusual kidnapping case involving a visiting Japanese pianist. The suspect, Fritz von Stohlenberg was caught by federal police in Paris Charles De Gaulle International Airport for travelling under a false passport. Von Stohlenberg tried to evade capture when officers attempted to detain him at customs but after hiding out in the female restrooms in the departure lounge, he peacefully surrendered to authorities, claiming that he knew nothing and was merely following orders. The pianist, Megumi Noda Chiaki was allegedly kidnapped a week ago under the instructions of Vienna Symphony Orchestra conductor, Alexander Weiss. This led to a confrontation with the police at the famous Wurstelprater amusement centre, where Ms Chiaki was held captive for 20 hours. Sources at the scene tell us that Mrs Chiaki's husband, conductor Shinichi Chiaki and two other senior conductors were involved in this altercation which led to their being hospitalized. All are well and have recovered from the incident. Weiss is currently undergoing psychiatric supervision and is unlikely to face criminal charges in the immediate future._

* * *

**_Epilogue_**

"I don't know why I let you talk me into coming here." One minute he was mewling and clutching onto her nervously and another he was shielding his eyes uneasily from his surroundings.

"It's the Great Barrier Reef..."

"It's an island which forms part of the Great Barrier Reef." The man corrected his wife mechanically, not daring to take another step forward on his own.

"So... what's wrong with that?"

"Islands are surrounded by water." The young husband was a complete wreck... quaking in sandals and his eyes tightly shut.

His wife sighed with unqualified contentment. "Isn't that wonderful... all that blue green, sparkling water. Lying by the beach, soaking in sun and feeling the ocean breeze in your face."

"I hate islands..." The husband growled.

"You do? Why? Why didn't you tell me before?"

"I thought I could do this. But all this water... miles and miles of water..." The thought of which caused him to breathe rapidly. He was looking pallid and ready to collapse on the spot.

To the wife though, her husband's seeming irrational behaviour was puzzling.

"That's the whole point, isn't it... to get away from it all. A romantic getaway."

"Let's leave now, Nodame..."

"Leave?! No way, we just got here!"

"We can go somewhere else... Sydney, Melbourne..."

"No, I want to stay. You can go by yourself to Sydney or Melbourne." She wasn't about to budge an inch.

"I can't go by myself... we're supposed to be on our honeymoon!"

"Well, you'll have to choose then, won't you? This is supposed to be my reward, remember? For going to Vienna with you."

"I know, I know..."

"You said I could choose to go anywhere..."

"I did..." The beleaguered husband mumbled regretfully. "But I thought..."

"I don't care what you thought. I want to stay..."

"Alright, alright... just get me to the room..."

"What's the matter with you anyway?"

In reply, her husband muttered something inaudible.

"What's that? I can't hear you..."

"I'm afraid..."

"Afraid? Afraid of what..."

"The water..." He managed to mouth querulously.

"You're afraid of water?!" She screeched.

"Shhhh... don't announce it to the entire world..."

"Is that why you were clinging on to me in St Malo? Why didn't you tell me?"

"I... I... thought... I could deal with it but obviously... well..."

"Never mind, husband... Nodame will cure you of your fear of water like I cured you of your fear of flying."

"You didn't cure me of my fear of flying..." _That hentai is fantasizing again. How could she have..._

Seeing that she had made a strategic misstep, his intrepid wife grew oddly quiet. So quiet that it aroused a touch of leeriness in her husband. "Did you?" He looked at her incredulously.

"No... no... of course not..." She shrugged it off evasively. "C'mon let's go... Ohhh look at that shell over there. Isn't it pretty?" Adding that last comment as a last ditch effort in misdirection.

"Nodame... What are you up to..."

"Me? Up to something? Don't be absurd. I'm just here to have a good time." She gave her "good wife" twitter. "Let's go to our room and get changed. I bought a new bikini, just for this occasion." She winked enticingly much to her husband's chagrin.

_I don't know how I'm going to keep up with her._

On arriving at their room, the husband threw himself face forward onto the bed, exhausted from all his exertions. He was never more relieved to be indoors in his life.

_I wonder if she did have a hand somehow in the way that I did overcome my fear of flying... Funny how I've never made the connection..._

_I'll have to keep an eye on her... a very close eye on her..._

_Especially if she's going to parade herself in public... in that... bikini. All those ogling tourists... surfers. _

The hydrophobic husband rolled over to one side of the bed and managed a groan.

_Wonder what the time is. I'm feeling a bit peckish. The sea air... perhaps..._

_The dining here had better be good... it's the only thing I'm looking forward to...  
_

_Now where did that fob watch get to? I was so sure it was in my jacket pocket._

**The End**_  
_

_

* * *

  
_

**Author's Notes:**

_That is the end of this story but not my love affair with Nodame and Chiaki. As I said in the last chapter, I'm not planning to work on any new NC stories in the immediate future, mainly because there's not much more I can say that I haven't already said. But like many of you, I am eagerly awaiting the latest developments in the manga and perhaps I might be inspired along new directions when the story finally comes to a close._

_But right now, I desperately need to sleep... something that has been eluding me lately._

_Once more I apologize for taking as long as I did with this story. Those of you who have followed this story from the beginning... you've been exceedingly faithful and patient._

_I want to thank my loyal reviewers, Angleico, Cactus and Crazy Sardines. Kandida for making my day the other day by reviewing 3 chapters in a row. _

_To Star Garden – good observations and right on target. Although I do see some of that subversive maturity in the manga in some of her cryptic comments._

_And Arhazivory... a new reviewer... thank you and appreciate your interest in ARH and this one._

_I am satisfied with the general feel of the story although I have not always been happy with its execution. We live and learn, and I am only at the beginning of this journey._


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